Overview
- Published January 12, 2026 in JAMA, the analysis finds about 25% of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with dementia received at least one central nervous system–active medication.
- Across all fee-for-service beneficiaries, prescribing of these drugs fell from roughly 20% in 2013 to 16% in 2021.
- Use shifted by class, with benzodiazepines and non‑benzodiazepine hypnotics declining, antipsychotics increasing modestly, anticholinergic antidepressants holding steady, and barbiturates dipping slightly.
- In 2021, more than two-thirds of patients receiving these medications had no documented clinical indication, raising concerns about potentially inappropriate prescribing.
- The study urges clinician–patient review, deprescribing when suitable, and consideration of safer alternatives, while noting limits such as missing Medicare Advantage data and potential undercapture of clinical justifications.