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Review
. 2006 Jun;7(6):492-500.
doi: 10.1038/nrn1926.

Neuroleptic drugs in dementia: benefits and harm

Clive Ballard  1 , Robert Howard
Affiliations
Review

Neuroleptic drugs in dementia: benefits and harm

Clive Ballard et al. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2006 Jun.

Abstract

Neuroleptic (antipsychotic) drugs are often used to treat psychiatric symptoms frequently seen in dementia, but their use is controversial. We present a new meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of these drugs for the treatment of psychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease, and discuss the more limited evidence for their potential benefits in other dementias. We recommend that these treatments be limited to the short-term treatment of psychiatric symptoms associated with serious distress or risk.

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Substances