Some very strong medications are also prescribed for other diseases and conditions than they are intended for and for much longer periods than recommended, according to a new survey conducted by the National Board of Health and Welfare.
"Healthcare needs to follow up on this much more closely. Above all, there is a great risk of serious drug interactions – or collisions – between different medications, which can lead to very serious side effects," says the National Board of Health and Welfare's Director-General Björn Eriksson in a press release.
Despite strong medications being intended for use for only a few weeks, it is common for them to be used for much longer periods – often six months or more.
It is also much more common for medications against psychosis to be prescribed to people with LSS interventions. In the age group 41–64 with intellectual disabilities or autism, 24 percent were prescribed antipsychotic medications, compared to 1.2 percent in the rest of the population.
