Dr Oscar Duke discusses Queen’s University study showing antidepressants like Sertraline and Citalopram may increase mortality rates in some users
07:13, 15 Mar 2026Updated 07:13, 15 Mar 2026
Dr Oscar Duke spoke out after a study found an increase in mortality among people taking some drugs while having dementia(Image: BBC)
A BBC health expert has addressed reports suggesting increased death risks for certain individuals taking antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications. The new study from Queen’s University Belfast has revealed, according to the lead author, that some medications “may not always be appropriate” for people with dementia.
Drugs such as Sertraline, Citalopram and Fluoxetine, which are being taken by millions, have been highlighted and on BBC Morning Live today, Dr Oscar Duke shared his perspective. He explained that the study was particularly concerning for those taking diazepam and lorazepam.
Discussing the issue of dementia and the drugs highlighted he said: “This will be worrying because these are common anti-depressant medicines. So lots of people will be who will be watching will be taking these medicines or know somebody who do. Millions of people take them in the in the UK every day. So do not panic is the first thing to say. This is a specific study done in Northern Ireland looking at the impact of medicines on people with dementia.”
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Dr Duke noted that people are generally living longer with dementia and as there’s no cure it’s a growing problem. It is estimated that nearly 1 million (approximately 982,000) people are living with dementia in the UK as of May 2024.
He outlined that the research examined medications being administered to individuals with dementia to assist in managing symptoms. He explained: “The reason this study was important is to try and find out the impact that things we do might have on people’s dementia. So commonly, we might give people who are struggling with their memory and all of the impacts of dementia something to help with their mood.
“You could understand that if you had dementia, it might make you feel more low, anxious, or depressed. And so this study tried to find out the impact of that, those medications that we might prescribe, an anti-depressant or an anti-anxiety tablet on your mortality and whether it affects your life expectancy.
“And they did find some changes. Now, you know, no study’s perfect. So again, not to panic. There was a very small change with the anti-depressants. So, around an 8% increase in mortality over the 10 years that they looked at in that study.”
Therefore, alongside the elevated mortality rate associated with these medications, it was also discovered that significantly higher death rates occurred amongst those taking diazepam and lorazepam. He said: “But for the anti-anxiety drugs, and these were drugs like things like diazepam and lorazepam, they’re often quite sedating drugs. So we might use for somebody who’s really anxious, distressed with something like dementia. There was a significant increase in mortality and people using those drugs up to about 26%.
“And we think it’s probably because as dementia is getting worse, you’re maybe more likely to need specifically those more sedating anxiety-type drugs. Of course, if you’re confused, if you’re then a bit more drowsy, you might be going to the loo in the middle of the night. You’re more likely to fall over. You’re then more likely to perhaps have an injury, break a bone, fracture a hip.
“And we know that all of those things have a poor impact on your life expectancy, particularly as you get older. And I suspect that in this study, the more severe your dementia is, the more likely you might be to be prescribed one of those sorts of medicines, particularly the more sedating type. And therefore, that might be why we see this larger increase in mortality as well. So I think not to panic if you’re somebody who’s taking one of these medicines, but worth having a conversation with your health care professional about whether it’s something that you really need and whether you’re really benefiting from it.”
The Queen’s University Belfast research, conducted by academics from the School of Pharmacy and Centre for Public Health, has demonstrated, according to the lead author, that certain medications “may not always be appropriate” for individuals living with dementia. As dementia is linked to age and the proportion of older individuals aged 65 years and over rises, the prevalence of dementia is also expected to grow.
It impacts more than 55 million people globally, with an estimated 10 million new cases annually.
Dr Catherine Sinnamon, lead author on the research and a postgraduate research student from the School of Pharmacy, emphasised that dementia was one of the primary causes of death worldwide and “currently there is no effective treatment for the disease”.
“It is therefore vitally important we look to ways to improve health and quality of life and reduce social and economic costs,” she said. Individuals living with dementia frequently have other medical conditions which means that they are prescribed multiple medications.
“Sometimes these medicines may not always be appropriate. Our study aimed to uncover how antidepressant medications affect people with dementia to ensure we can provide them with the best treatment and care.”
The researchers examined trends in prescribing of medications used to treat depression and anxiety in people with dementia and explored the association between the use of these medications and the risk of death. The team analysed 28,781 people living with dementia from Northern Ireland over a nine-year follow-up period (2012-2020), half of whom died during this time.
The study revealed that antidepressants were prescribed to 59.2% of individuals who passed away during the follow-up period, whilst 44.8% of these individuals were prescribed anti-anxiety medications. There was evidence of a slight increased risk of death in people with dementia-prescribed antidepressants and a strong increased risk in those prescribed anti-anxiety medications.
Dr Heather Barry, the principal investigator on the study, stated that the findings “extend our knowledge and highlight the importance of judicious prescribing for people with dementia. It further underscores the importance of medications being regularly and thoroughly reviewed in people with dementia, whether that be by a GP or a pharmacist, to ensure they are still appropriate and are still needed,” she said.
The research was supported by staff at the Honest Broker Service (HBS) within the Business Services Organisation Northern Ireland (BSO). The HBS is funded by the BSO and the Department of Health.