Systematic review and meta-analysis of antipsychotic discontinuation in dementia.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Antipsychotics are used to treat behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). However, treatment is associated with adverse outcomes. A 2018 Cochrane review found low-quality evidence that discontinuation may have little effect on BPSD by primarily comparing the difference in number of study non-completers between treatment groups and did not report a pooled effect size for relapse risk. We performed a meta-analysis of the pooled risk ratio (RR) of relapse of symptoms following antipsychotic medication discontinuation in people with dementia. We hypothesized that trial design (enriched responder samples vs long-term user withdrawal), treatment duration, length of follow-up, withdrawal speed, and sex of participants would affect relapse risk.

Methods

SUBMITTER: Roche S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12703663 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature