Research suggests simple painkillers, such as paracetamol, may substantially reduce some of the most distressing symptoms of dementia.
A study, published on the BMJ website, of more than 350 nursing home patients in Norway found those taking painkillers became less agitated and less aggressive.
The authors say their findings may help to reduce reliance on anti-psychotic treatments.
Half of the patients were given painkillers with every meal, while the rest continued with their usual treatments.
After eight weeks, there was a 17% reduction in symptoms of agitation in the group being given pain relief, which was a greater improvement than would have been expected from anti-psychotic medication.
The study states that 'effective management of pain can play an important part in the treatment of agitation and could reduce the number of unnecessary prescriptions for psychotropic drugs in this population'.
