Drugs used in the treatment of psychosis are linked to an increased risk of stroke, according to a study carried out by a team of researchers from the London Scholl of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the UK.

In addition, it was suggested that patients suffering from dementia are at double the risk.

Published on the online pages of the British Medical Journal, the study examined data from the General Practice Research Database and assessed the effects of exposure to antipsychotic drugs on the incidence of stroke in 6,790 people.

Those examined had a recorded incident of stroke and at least one prescription of any antipsychotic drug between January 1988 and December 2002.

It was found that during times when patients received such medication, they were 1.7 times more likely to suffer a stroke.

People with dementia were 3.5 times more likely to have a stroke while taking an antipsychotic.

"We reaffirm that the risks associated with antipsychotic use in patients with dementia generally outweigh the potential benefits and in this patient group, use of antipsychotic drugs should be avoided wherever possible," the researchers conclude.

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