Sometimes patients believe there is an intruder in the room, or that their possessions have been stolen.
As a result, they are often prescribed anti-psychotic drugs – tranquillisers that control their agitated behaviour. However, research has found that in many cases, patients are sedated simply in order to stop them from wandering off – a practice dubbed the ‘chemical cosh’.
A new drug, pimavanserin, is being trialled in nursing homes and has been successful in reducing hallucinations and delusions among Alzheimer’s sufferers.
The treatment has also been hailed by experts as an effective alternative to current anti-psychotics, which can speed up a patients’ deterioration and result in fatal side effects. It is estimated that 1,660 strokes and 1,800 unnecessary deaths occur in the UK every year as a result of anti-psychotic drugs prescribed to vulnerable patients.
Pimavanserin works by blocking a nerve receptor called 5HT2A, which is part of the serotonin system. Known as the feel-good chemical, serotonin also has an important role in transmitting psychotic ideas. By blocking this receptor, pimavanserin stops the psychotic impulses spreading.
Other psychotic drugs work by blocking nerve receptors to limit the spread of psychosis, but they can also sedate people, which is why they are widely condemned for use in dementia patients.
Pimavanserin targets the 5HT2A receptor only, without causing the side effects associated with other anti-psychotics.
