Antipsychotics Found to Increase Death Risk in Older Bipolar Patients

In reviewing Veterans Affairs data on nearly 5000 patients age 65 or older who started on a new medication for bipolar disorder, researchers found that certain antipsychotics increased the risk of death within 180 days compared to the mood stabilizer and anticonvulsant medication valproate (brand names Depakote, Depakene and others).

The patients included in the review were those who had not taken an antipsychotic or anticonvulsant in the past year and took only a single drug during the six months of the review period. For each drug, the mortality rate during that period was as follows:

• Valproate: 2.2%
• Seroquel (quetiapine): 2.6%
• Zyprexa (olanzapine): 5%
• Risperdal (risperidone): 6.6%
• Haldol (haloperidol): 15.3%

Some of the higher rate for Haldol may have been because "[p]atients on haloperidol ... had more medical comorbidities than others, as well as higher rates of comorbid dementia, delirium, and substance abuse." In addition, Haldol is a typical antipsychotic, chemically different from the other three, which are atypical antipsychotics.

The researchers said there is a "growing body of evidence" that antipsychotics increase the risk of death for the elderly in general. They cautiously interpreted the results to indicate that the risk has less to do with the condition the drugs were prescribed for (such as bipolar disorder or dementia) and more to do with age and existing medical conditions.

Source: Antipsychotics Increase Mortality Risk in Older Adults With Bipolar Disorder.

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