Wide Spread Use of Anti-Psychotic Drugs in Nursing Homes
Recently, the Federal Government took rare action by filing a federal lawsuit against two California nursing homes for a persistent problem of overmedicating their residents with psychotropic drugs. Anti-psychotic and psychotropic drugs can be especially dangerous for the elderly and are often misused. When a facility is understaffed and cannot provide the appropriate level of care for its residents, facilities often times turn to psychotropic and anti-psychotic drugs to chemically restrain the residents. This is an unlawful practice. And skilled nursing facilities are using these types of drugs on residents with dementia.
Common medications to watch out for if your loved one is in a nursing home include:
| GENERIC NAME | BRAND NAMES |
| Chlorpromazine | Largactil, Thorazine |
| Mesoridazine | Serentil |
| Levomepromazine | Nosinan, Nozinan, Levoprome |
| Loxapine | Loxapac, Loxitane |
| Haloperidol | Haldol |
| Fluphenazine | Prolixin |
| Zuclopenthixol | Clopixol |
| Prochlorperazine | Compazine, Stemzine, Buccastem, Stemetil, Phenotil |
| Aripiprazole | Abilify |
| Clozapine | Clozaril |
| Olanzapine | Zyprexa, Ozace |
| Perospirone | Lullan |
| Quetiapine | Seroquel |
| Remoxipride | Roxiam |
| Pisperiodone | Pisperdal, Zepidone |
| Geodone | Ziprasidone |
| Divalproex Sodium | Depakote |
| Neurontin | Gabapentin |
| Citalopram | Celexa |
| Fluoxetine | Prozac |
| Gabapentin | Neurontin |
| Sertraline | Zoloft |
| Lorazepam | Ativan |
| Klonopin | Clonazepam |
| Escitalopram | Lexapro |
| Diazepam | Valium |
| Alprazolam | Xanax |
Wendy York and the team at York Law Firm have been handling residents who have been abused or neglected as a part of their elder abuse practice for almost 20 years. If you believe your loved one has been the victim of elder abuse or neglect in a nursing home or assisted living facility, or believe your family has a wrongful death claim, please call our office so that we can investigate your case at 916-643-2200 or contact us online. We are dedicated to representing families whose elders and dependent adults who have been injured, neglected or abused.
To read the article, click here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/09/05/346137537/feds-hope-hitting-nursing-homes-in-the-wallet-will-cut-overmedication.