Antipsychotic drugs make dementia patients worse

by W.C. Douglas

Dear Friend,

It's a fairly common practice to use antipsychotic drugs to calm the outbursts, combative behavior, and agitation in dementia patients – a little too common, if you ask me. Sales of these drugs have tripled in the last eight years – from $4 billion in 2000 to $13.1 billion last year.

Risperdal is the most frequently prescribed antipsychotic drug in the U.S. And while the FDA has approved it for the treatment of schizophrenia, it's being prescribed to other patients "off label" (i.e., prescribing it to treat a malady for which the drug was not originally intended) for dementia patients.

What's maddening is that doctors write these prescriptions and dole out these drugs in spite of a virtual Niagara Falls of bad press and FDA warnings about their dangers. The FDA has ordered that the newer antipsychotics be slapped with the dreaded "black box" label warnings of an increased risk of death (clearly, the FDA's warnings are never dreaded enough…).

A 2006 study of Alzheimer's patients found that antipsychotic drugs provided NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT over placebos in treating the delusions and aggression that accompanies that disease. What's more, several states are currently suing the makers of some of the top-selling brands of antipsychotics on charges of false and misleading marketing.

And yet, in the face of all of the warnings that antipsychotics can be both ineffective and dangerous, over-prescribing and abuse of these medications is still going on. Why?

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ALZHEIMER
You probably think of Alzheimer’s “old-age” dementia as totally unpredictable and incurable surprises that can strike anyone as they get older—including you. Most doctors would probably agree… But I don’t.

Evidence keeps mounting that these conditions are almost entirely preventable.
For instance, I just read a study out of South Korea that found a direct link between the B vitamin, folate deficiency, Alzheimer’s, and age-related dementia. You’ve probably heard vitamin B9 by its other name, “folic acid,” a different form of B9. It’s abundant in leafy greens like kale, spinach, turnip greens, lettuce, beans, peas, and certain fruits.

The researchers took 518 people over 65 and monitored them for about two-and-a-half years.1 Over that time, 45 of them developed dementia, and out of the 45, 34 had Alzheimer’s. The one thing everyone in this group had in common was what the researchers called an “exaggerated” decline in B9 levels compared to the rest of the people in the study.
Meanwhile, those in the study with low levels of B9 had three times the risk of developing Alzheimer’s or dementia. This was true even after other factors were taken into account—including age, physical disabilities, alcohol consumption, and weight gain.
So this study would suggest that you can reduce your chance of Alzheimer’s or dementia just by keeping your levels of B9 high.

This is just the latest in a string of recent studies showing a definitive link between nutritional status and risk for Alzheimer’s and dementia.
A landmark study presented at the 2005 International Conference on Alzheimer’s disease looked at diet and antioxidant intake over a lifetime—especially the vitamin B complex, along with vitamins C, E, and fish oil.2 The risk of Alzheimer's disease among those who got enough of these antioxidants was one third of those who did not.

And a British study published that same year found a strong link between obesity, Alzheimer’s, and dementia.3 Researchers tracked markers of health among more than 10,000 voluntary participants going all the way back to 1964. They concluded that people who are overweight are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease as folks who stay fit.

So my advice boils down to the simple strategy of doing what you can to lower your risk:
Here are the nutritional “must-haves” in the fight against Alzheimer’s and dementia, all of which you can find in most health food stores.

(these are DSRDA’s—Dr.Sears’s recommended daily amounts):
CoQ10 – 200 mg
Vitamin B12 – 400 mcg
Vitamin B6 – 75 mg
Vitamin C – at least 500 mg minimum, much more is safe (I take 2000 mg per day)
Vitamin E – 400 IU
Folic Acid (B9) – 800 mcg

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD
http://www.alsearsmd.com

Thank you Pinky.

Also B15
Which is not really a "B" vitamin if I understand correctly, but in the calcium family . . . Calcium Pangamate.
Rick knows someone who reversed alzheimers with this.
It's supposed to help your mental clarity and memory too.
I got some, but I can't tell you personally if it works.
I keep forgetting to take it.
Christina