Reducing Potential Overuse of Dementia Drugs Could Lead to Considerable Savings

by

Beth Carter

Leigh Purvis, AARP Public Policy Institute

While clinical trial evidence indicates that some dementia medications may briefly address dementia symptoms like memory loss and confusion, these drugs do not affect the underlying cause of

the disease or slow the rate of cognitive decline. There is also no evidence of effectiveness beyond one year of use.

Nevertheless, our study found that some adults with dementia incurred costs of nearly $20,000 by remaining on dementia medications for as long as a decade. As much as 90 percent of this

spending occurred after drug treatment was no longer supported by clinical evidence.

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