Psychiatric symptoms of dementia: Treatable, but no silver bullet
ABSTRACTBehavioral problems are common in dementia and may reduce the quality of life of the patient and disrupt the home life of family members. Families want a pill that can cure the myriad phenotypes of a decaying brain; unfortunately, there is no pharmaceutical silver bullet. This paper reviews the evidence for using different classes of drugs for the behavior symptoms commonly encountered in dementia, focusing on concerns that the primary care physician would have about using these drugs.
KEY POINTS
- No drug specifically addresses wandering, hoarding, or resistance to care, behaviors that are particularly frustrating to caregivers.
- Many drugs are sedating and increase the risk of falling and injury; antipsychotic use is off-label for dementia and carries significant and possibly lethal adverse effects.
- Managing the behavioral symptoms of dementia requires attention to the environmental and psychosocial context in which they occur, as well as to comorbidities and potential adverse drug effects.
- Evidence for the efficacy of antidepressants for depression in dementia is limited.
WHAT TO DO FOR YOUR PATIENTS
The 84-year-old woman
For the 84-year-old woman who is keeping her son awake all night, recommend making the environment safe for her to wander, including placing a bolt on the doors leading to the basement and outdoors and moving the knives to an area that she cannot reach, to avoid accidents. Recommend that she be given things to do that are repetitive, such as folding towels and arranging drawers. Referring her to day care may improve socialization and increase physical activity during the day, possibly improving her sleep time at night.
The 82-year-old man
Let’s assume the 82-year-old man arrested and then hospitalized is placed on risperidone 1 mg twice daily prior to discharge to the nursing home. In the nursing home, he becomes irritable with any change in his routine: the door has to be open by exactly 6 inches; his meals have to be identical and served on time; the newspaper needs to arrive by 8 AM. Since routine is paramount in the nursing home, the staff accommodates his need for a very regular schedule. Donepezil (Aricept) and memantine can be added as cognitive enhancers, and citalopram can be added for possible depression and obsessive features. The daughter should then be approached about reducing the risperidone dose and, hopefully, discontinuing it in the future.
Comment. A stable, routine environment is the most important intervention for managing this aggressive resident’s behavior, although he may have been helped to some degree by the adjunct medications. Once he is stable, the daughter may be able to bring him home for weekends and holidays, as long as she is advised never to surprise him with an unexpected visit or to bring home unexpected guests.
