Antipsychotic Prescribing For Residents With Dementia Declines At Veteran Nursing Homes

At nursing homes operated by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), antipsychotic prescriptions among individuals with dementia declined from 33.7% in 2009 to 27.5% in 2018. Prescriptions for anti-anxiety mediations such as benzodiazepines declined from 33.5% in 2009 to 27.1% in 2018.

Overall prescribing of non-antipsychotic psychotropic medications increased from 75.0% of residents to 81.1%. Prescriptions for antiepileptics, antidepressants, and opioids increased among residents with dementia at VHA nursing homes, as follows:

Prescriptions for antiepileptics increased from 26.8% in 2009 to 43.3% in 2018. Most of the increase was driven by . . .