Elderly Patients With Dementia-Related Symptoms of Severe Agitation and Aggression (original) (raw)
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ACNP White Paper: Update on Use of Antipsychotic Drugs in Elderly Persons with Dementia
Neuropsychopharmacology, 2008
In elderly persons, antipsychotic drugs are clinically prescribed off-label for a number of disorders outside of their Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved indications (schizophrenia and bipolar disorder). The largest number of antipsychotic prescriptions in older adults is for behavioral disturbances associated with dementia. In April 2005, the FDA, based on a metaanalysis of 17 double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trials among elderly people with dementia, determined that atypical antipsychotics were associated with a significantly (1.6−1.7 times) greater mortality risk compared with placebo, and asked that drug manufacturers add a 'black box' warning to prescribing information for these drugs. Most deaths were due to either cardiac or infectious causes, the two most common immediate causes of death in dementia in general. Clinicians, patients, and caregivers are left with unclear choices of treatment for dementia patients with psychosis and/or severe agitation. Not only are psychosis and agitation common in persons with dementia but they also frequently cause considerable caregiver distress and hasten institutionalization of patients. At the same time, there is a paucity of evidence-based treatment alternatives to antipsychotics for this population. Thus, there is insufficient evidence to suggest that psychotropics other than antipsychotics represent an overall effective and safe, let alone better, treatment choice for psychosis or agitation in dementia; currently no such treatment has been approved by the FDA for these symptoms. Similarly, the data on the efficacy of specific psychosocial treatments in patients with dementia are limited and inconclusive. The goal of this White Paper is to review relevant issues and make clinical and research recommendations regarding the treatment of elderly dementia patients with psychosis and/or agitation. The role of shared decision making and caution in using pharmacotherapy for these patients is stressed.
BULLETIN OF INTEGRATIVE PSYCHIATRY, 2020
Antipsychotic treatment is widely used for treating aggression/agitation and psychosis in the elderly population. The doses used are lower, administering medication is done over a prolonged time period, tests done and clinical observation is more frequent compared to the non-geriatric population. The objective of this case-series was to present a particularity encountered in the use of antipsychotics. Three patients suffered from increased aggression and agitation during treatment with antipsychotics. After medication administration was ceased the symptomatology remitted. Tests used for this study included Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), Neuropsychiatric Inventory Nursing Home Version (NPI-NH). We found that the elevation of the NPI-NH score was significant with increased dosage, thus after reaching the maximum allowed doses for patients with dementia, the decision was made to stop the antipsychotic and change to another agent (antipsychotic or anticonvulsant). These results suggest that more studies should focus on fast management of the antipsychotics' side effects, and the dynamics between symptom development and treatment decisions. The delay between the start of medication and the decision to switch could have a negative impact for the patients. Future treatment algorithms should take into consideration the possibility of worsening the symptoms and more in-depth studies should be conducted to widen the picture of antipsychotic treatment in the geriatric population, especially for patients with severe dementia. 120/Bulletin of Integrative Psychiatry New Series June 2020 Year XXVI No. 2 (85)
Use and safety of antipsychotics in behavioral disorders in elderly people with dementia
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2014
In recent years, the use of antipsychotics has been widely debated for reasons concerning their safety in elderly patients affected with dementia. To update the use of antipsychotics in elderly demented people, a MEDLINE search was conducted using the following terms: elderly, conventional and atypical antipsychotics, adverse events, dementia, and behavioral and psychotic symptoms in dementia (BPSD). Owing to the large amounts of studies on antipsychotics, we mostly restricted the field of research to the last 10 years.
Use of atypical antipsychotic drugs in patients with dementia
American Family Physician, 2003
Typical antipsychotic drugs, such as haloperidol (Haldol), traditionally have been used to control psychotic and behavior disturbances in elderly patients, but these drugs have troubling side effects. Extrapyramidal symptoms can cause stiffness, immobility, and falls and are associated with significant mor-M ost family physicians are comfortable prescribing antidepressants, but antipsychotic medications are less commonly prescribed and therefore less familiar. Antipsychotic drugs effectively treat psychosis caused by a variety of conditions (Table 1). Psychotic symptoms are classified as either positive or negative. Positive symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders (manifested by marked incoherence, derailment, tangentiality), and bizarre or disorganized behavior. Negative symptoms include anhedonia, flattened affect, apathy, and social withdrawal. 1 Psychotic symptoms in elderly patients always should be investigated thoroughly, and underlying medical conditions should be identified and treated. Although a family physician is less likely to manage schizophrenia in elderly patients, it is quite common for family physicians to treat patients who have Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. These patients frequently have psychotic symptoms that are treated without a specialist's aid. Increasingly, atypical antipsychotic drugs are prescribed for elderly patients with symptoms of psychosis and behavioral disturbances. These symptoms often occur in patients with Alzheimer's disease, other dementias, or Parkinson's disease. As the average age of Americans increases, the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease will rise accordingly. Although nonpharmacologic treatments for behavioral disturbances should be tried first, medications often are needed to enable the patient to be adequately cared for. Current guidelines recommend using risperidone and olanzapine to treat psychosis in patients with Alzheimer's dementia. Quetiapine and clozapine are recommended for treatment of psychosis in patients with Parkinson's disease. Additional research is needed for a recently approved agent, ziprasidone. To minimize side effects, these medications should be started at low dosages that are increased incrementally. Drug interactions, especially those involving the cytochrome P450 system, must be considered. Clozapine's potentially lethal side effects limit its use in the primary care setting. Informed use of atypical antipsychotic drugs allows family physicians to greatly improve quality of life in elderly patients with dementia and behavior disturbances.
Pharmacological Treatment of Psychosis and Agitation in Elderly Patients with Dementia
Drugs & Aging, 2002
A number of studies, using different research designs and assessment instruments, have been conducted to elucidate the differential effects of drug treatments for psychosis, agitation and aggression in elderly patients with dementia. We have reviewed literature published from 1960 to 2000 on this topic; 48 studies that met our selection criteria were identified from Medline and Science Citation Index. Antipsychotic medication was generally effective for the treatment of psychosis and agitation in elderly patients with dementia. In double-blind, placebocontrolled trials in this population, mean improvement rates were 61% with antipsychotics and 35% with placebo. Atypical antipsychotics appeared promising, but the number of well-designed studies has been small so far. Methodological limitations of the studies reviewed are discussed; future trials should ensure adequate sample size and duration and involve direct comparisons of individual medications.
Indications of atypical antipsychotics in the elderly
Expert review of clinical pharmacology, 2015
Atypical antipsychotics (AAP) have become some of the most commonly prescribed medications in primary and specialist care settings. Off-label prescribing accounts for much of the expanded use of AAPs. This has become common in the elderly. Marketing by pharmaceutical companies appears to have contributed to the off-label use of AAPs, in situations where their safety and efficacy is far from established. Although evidence provides varying degrees of support for their use for behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, augmentation of antidepressants in depression, anxiety, insomnia and in the management of psychosis in Parkinson's Disease, there are a number of potential problems with their expanded use in the elderly. These include weight gain, type two diabetes mellitus, sudden cardiac death and increased mortality rates in the elderly with dementia. It is recommended that whenever AAPs are used off-label, a review date is identified, informed consent is obtained and tr...