Incidence of antipsychotic use in relation to diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease among community-dwelling persons

Background Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia are frequently treated with antipsychotics. Aims To determine the incidence of antipsychotic use in relation to diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Method Cohort of all community-dwellers in Finland diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2005 and matched controls. All antipsychotics dispensed between 1995 and 2009 were extracted from the Finnish National Prescription Register. Results Altogether 1996/6087 (32.8%) persons with Alzheimer's disease initiated antipsychotic use. The incidence of antipsychotic use was fivefold among persons with Alzheimer's disease compared with controls, started to increase 2-3 years before diagnosis and was highest during the first 6 months after diagnosis. Conclusions A distinct increase in antipsychotic initiations occurs in the same time window as Alzheimer's disease diagnosis.