Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Antipsychotic Drugs: Double the Stroke Risk?

People taking antipsychotic drugs -including Zyprexa and Seroquel -- are nearly twice as likely to have a stroke compared to those not on the treatment according to British researchers.

"The risk is even higher -- about 3.5 times -- for men and women with dementia, which means doctors should only prescribe such medicine to these patients as a last resort, the researchers said.

Previously, stroke risk associated with older antipsychotic drugs was unclear but the study published in the British Medical Journal showed both old and new treatments carry increased risk."

For more go here.