Side effects of antipsychotic drugs. Avoiding and minimizing their impact in elderly patients

Antipsychotic drugs are very useful in treatment of psychosis and severe agitation in the elderly. Their use for other behavioral problems is contraindicated. Antipsychotics have many potential side effects (e.g., sedation, cardiovascular effects, anticholinergic effects, incontinence, reduced appetite, such motor disturbances as drug-induced parkinsonism, akathisia, dystonia, TD). Prevention, by using the minimum dose and duration of treatment possible, is the key to managing motor side effects. If prevention fails, drug-induced parkinsonism and dystonia may improve with use of anticholinergics, and akathisia may improve with use of benzodiazepines or low-dose propranolol. There is no proven treatment for TD, which is most likely to be observed during dose reduction or after discontinuation of antipsychotic drugs. Compared with older agents, newer antipsychotic drugs are less likely to cause parkinsonism, akathisia, and dystonia and may cause TD less often. More research is needed to clarify use of the new drugs in the elderly.