Structured Medication Reviews in adults with a Learning Disability

People with a learning disability are 14-times more likely to be prescribed an antipsychotic medication than the general population and this is often to treat behaviour that is thought to be challenging (an unlicensed indication).People with Learning Disabilities may be more vulnerable to adverse effects of medicines and my have difficulty reporting them. Some of the harms from antipsychotics that we worry about include sedation, weight gain, increased diabetic and CVD risk, movement disorders, and sexual dysfunction. Given this inequality in prescribing and the potential impact side effects may have on quality of life, regular medication reviews should be undertaken, with a view to deprescribing where patients and prescribers feel that an antipsychotic medication is no longer appropriate. Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs) allow an opportunity for prescribers and patients ( and their careers) to share and concerns about medicines. Studies have shown them to be an effective way to address inappropriate prescribing and polypharmacy, and they are endorsed by NICE.

This toolkit contains resources to support Structured Medication Reviews in adults with a learning disability, helping to ensure that people are given psychotropic medication for the right reasons, in the lowest dose and for the shortest time.