Journal Article

Effectiveness of Atypical Antipsychotic Drugs in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

Lebowitz, Barry D, Schneider, Lon S, Lieberman, Jeffrey A, Ismail, M. Saleem, Sultzer, David L, Lyketsos, Constantine G, Davis, Sonia M, Ryan, J. Michael, Hsiao, John K, Stroup, T. Scott, Dagerman, Karen S, Weintraub, Daniel, Tariot, Pierre N

2006

Overview

In this randomized trial of atypical antipsychotic medications in patients with Alzheimer's disease and psychosis, aggression, or agitation, effectiveness (as measured by the time to drug discontinuation) was similar for olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, and placebo. Patients were more likely to stop taking placebo because of lack of efficacy and were likely to stop taking antipsychotic medications because of intolerability. In this trial of atypical antipsychotic medications in patients with Alzheimer's disease, effectiveness was similar for olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, and placebo. Patients were more likely to stop taking placebo because of lack of efficacy and to stop taking antipsychotic medications because of intolerability. Delusions, hallucinations, aggression, and agitation affect more than half of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. 1 – 4 Antipsychotic drugs are used to treat these behaviors and symptoms and are among the most frequently used psychotropic drugs in Alzheimer's disease. 5 , 6 Second-generation (atypical) antipsychotic drugs have been considered to be at least as effective as conventional antipsychotic agents such as haloperidol, with a lower risk of most adverse effects, 7 and are used as first-line pharmacologic treatments for patients with dementia. 5 , 8 However, there is a dearth of placebo-controlled and active-drug–controlled, randomized trials and longer-term data from controlled trials regarding the . . .

• Publisher: Massachusetts Medical Society
• Subject: Aged / Alzheimer Disease - drug therapy / Alzheimer Disease - psychology / Alzheimer's disease / Antipsychotic Agents - adverse effects / Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use / Behavior / Benzodiazepines - adverse effects / Benzodiazepines - therapeutic use / Biological and medical sciences / Caregivers / Clinical medicine / Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases / Dibenzothiazepines - adverse effects / Dibenzothiazepines - therapeutic use / Double-Blind Method / Female / General aspects / Humans / Male / Medical sciences / Mental Disorders - drug therapy / Mental Disorders - etiology / Neurology / Patients / Physical examinations / Proportional Hazards Models / Psychotropic drugs / Quetiapine Fumarate / Risk / Risperidone - adverse effects / Risperidone - therapeutic use / Survival Analysis / Treatment Outcome