Common Hospice Meds Increase Death Risk For Alzheimer’s, Dementia Patients

Key Takeaways

Common hospice drugs can increase risk of earlier death among patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementiaBenzodiazepines and antipsychotics increased risk of death, compared to hospice patients not prescribed the drugsThe drugs are handed out to manage agitation, anxiety and delerium

THURSDAY, Oct. 16, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Hospice drugs commonly handed out to people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia might be hastening their deaths, a new study says.

Benzodiazepines and antipsychotics given to hospice patients with dementia appear to increase their risk of earlier death, compared to similar patients who weren’t prescribed those drugs, researchers reported Oct. 14 in JAMA Network Open .

Dementia patients who began taking benzodiazepines were 41% more likely to