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Long-term use of neuroleptics among elderly in a Swedish community
D G Isacson1, K A Bingefors, K I Antonov
1Department of Social Pharmacy, University of Uppsala, Sweden.
Objective:
Analysis of long-term use of neuroleptics among the elderly in a Swedish community.
Design:
Cohort study, three-year follow-up period.
Setting:
Primary care.
Patients:
All people aged 65 years or older who used neuroleptics in 1984.
Results:
Neuroleptic use was fairly common among elderly and continued long-term use was relatively frequent. One third of long-term users obtained doses exceeding a recommended dosage range. Prescribed doses were seldom changed during the study period.
Conclusions:
The high proportion of long-term users and the stability of the prescribed doses indicate that there is a need for more information to be made available to prescribes regarding the risks of long-term use of neuroleptics in primary care.