ORCID

Abstract

Introduction: Anticholinergic burden (ACB) is the cumulativeeffect of taking multiple medications with anticholinergic properties. ACB is associated with polypharmacy, increased comorbidity, and premature mortality in people with intellectualdisability (PwID). No clinical standards for ACB monitoring specific to PwID exist, particularly in psychiatric inpatient unitswhere the risk of ACB is highest.Method: We used the ACB Calculator and Anticholinergic Effecton Cognition (AEC) scale to compute ACB scores in two Englishpsychiatric units. We administered the Liverpool University SideEffect Rating Scale (LUNSERS) and Glasgow Antipsychotic SideEffect Scale (GASS) to examine patients’ perception of sideeffects.Results: Of 19 patients, the ACB Calculator mean was 6.68 andAEC 4.21. The LUNSERS mean was 22.72 (low side-effects) andGASS 9.12 (absent/mild side-effects). Two prescriber groups andtwo multidisciplinary sessions discussed the findings.Conclusions: Based on our findings, practice/audit recommendations to minimize ACB for PwID in psychiatric inpatients aresuggested.

Publication Date

2025-05-23

Publication Title

Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities

Volume

18

Issue

4

ISSN

1931-5864

Acceptance Date

2025-04-02

Deposit Date

2025-05-24

Funding

RS has received institutional research, travel support and/or honorarium for talks and expert advisory boards from LivaNova, UCB, Eisai, Veriton Pharma, Bial, Angelini, UnEEG, and Jazz/GW Pharma outside the submitted work. He holds or has held competitive grants from various national grant bodies including Innovate, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (ESPRC), National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), NHS Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI), and other funding bodies including charities all outside this work. No other author has any conflict of interest.

Keywords

Side effects, challenging behavior, in-patient units, learning disability, offending behaviour, psychotropics

First Page

425

Last Page

437

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