Celexa as Effective as Risperdal at Treating Dementia

Dementia, a cognitive dysfunction, affects a person's memory and ability to function in daily life. While antipsychotics have typically been utilized to treat this cognitive dysfunction, a new study indicates that antidepressants may be as effective as antipsychotics in treating dementia.

The risk for developing dementia increases with age. While less than 2% of individuals aged 65-69 will suffer from dementia, it is estimated that one-third of people over the age of 90 have dementia. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, a condition in which nerve cells within the brain are lost, and, as a result, the brain fails to function normally.

Symptoms of dementia include forgetfulness, difficulty with language, such as an inability to name objects, disorientation to one's surroundings, including the day of the week, their location, and the time of year, an inability to think abstractly, such as the inability to do simple arithmetic in one's head, and mood swings. People who suffer with dementia also often become agitated and have psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions. Delusions are false beliefs. Seeing or hearing things that are not really present constitute hallucinations. Additionally, those with dementia may lack the ability to care for themselves.

Dr. Bruce Pollock and his colleagues examined the effectiveness of Celexa, an antidepressant, against the effectiveness of Risperdal, an antipsychotic, which is often used to treat patients with dementia. The researchers aimed to determine if symptom relief could be achieved for patients with dementia with fewer side-effects, given that Rispredal can produce extreme sedation and apathy.

In their study, Dr. Pollock and his colleagues randomly assigned 103 patients suffering from dementia, hospitalized at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, to two groups. Fifty-three patients received a daily dose of Celexa while 50 patients received Risperdal for the treatment of dementia.

The researchers discovered after 12 weeks of medication, Risperdal and Celexa had similar effect on psychotic symptoms, such as suspicious thoughts, delusions, and hallucinations.

Patients receiving Risperdal had a 35% reduction in psychotic symptoms associated with dementia while patients receiving Celexa had a 32% reduction in these symptoms. In addition, the researchers found that patients receiving Risperdal had significantly more side-effects from the medication than did those receiving Celexa.

This study indicates that the antidepressant Celexa is as effective as the antipsychotic Risperdal in treating dementia with fewer side-effects. However, further research needs to be done in order to support the findings of this study.

For more information about dementia, please visit Medline Plus, a service provided by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health.