Atypical antipsychotic medications are no more dangerous than other conventional antipsychotics, antidepressants and benzodiazepines when it comes to treating nursing home residents, according to a new study. Although psychotropic drugs are commonly used to treat nursing home patients with dementia, these treatments are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has advised that both atypical and common antipsychotics are associated with an increased risk of death, and that certain atypical antipsychotics, such as risperidone, olanzapine and aripiprazole, are associated with an increased risk of stroke, according to researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
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