Is your loved one a nursing home resident? It is imperative that you monitor any medication prescribed to him or her, as there have been reports of facilities using powerful antipsychotic drugs in an attempt to sedate residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. 
National Public Radio reported that many of the antipsychotic drugs, like Risperdal and Seroquel, have been involved in lawsuits over injury claims. Many of the drugs also have black box warnings about complications including heart failure, infections and death.
According to NPR, scarily, the antipsychotic drugs are only approved to treat people with serious mental illnesses, like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The news source reported that a study in 2011 found that “88 percent of Medicare claims for antipsychotics prescribed in nursing homes were for treating symptoms of dementia, even though the drugs aren’t approved for that.”
It is now estimated that there are more than 300,000 nursing home residents are still prescribed antipsychotic drugs.
Through the source link below, you can visit the NPR website, where you can look up drug medication rates by the name of a facility and/or zip code.
Should I Speak to an Attorney if My Loved One is Injured by an Antipsychotic Drug?
If you have had a loved one who has been injured because of a drug they were prescribed in a nursing home, you should speak with our attorneys. We can investigate your case to determine if medication errors have harmed him or her.
Any healthcare provider has a duty to make sure that it is not providing dangerous drugs to patients or residents. You need to hold a facility liable if it injures your loved one. Call us today and let us investigate your case.
