Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Editorials

Antipsychotic prescribing in nursing homes

BMJ 2012; 344 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e1093 (Published 23 February 2012) Cite this as: BMJ 2012;344:e1093

Rapid Response:

Re: Antipsychotic prescribing in nursing homes

Before we all start getting hot under the collar about sedating those with dementia perhaps we should look at the prescribing rates of sedatives for those with unpleasant personality traits.

NICE and Cochrane are both clear on the need for short term use only but clinical practice seems to dictate long term use of potentially dangerous medication.

Who will champion the safety of those who have a personality problem as opposed to those whose personality is slipping away?

Competing interests: No competing interests

28 March 2012
Jeremy Luke
GP
Coachmans practice
Crawley RH11 9JA