The Brown University Geriatric Psychopharmacology Update articles from December 2003

The Brown University Geriatric Psychopharmacology Update archives from December 2003

Two groundbreaking randomized studies assess efficacy of risperidone and olanzapine in elders with schizophrenia.(New Research)
December 1, 2003... Although research conducted as recently as the late 1990s suggested that symptoms of schizophrema in an elderly population diminished with age, more recent studies have revealed a different clinical profile. Currently, researchers indicate that...

SSRIs related to syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone.(Drug-Drug Interactions)
December 1, 2003... Normally the kidney is capable of excreting a large amount of dilute urine even after significant water intake. However, secretion of antidiuretic hormone can result in water retention and reduced serum sodium concentration. Syndrome of...

New research assesses galantamine for dementia and reducing caregiver burden.(Drug Watch)
December 1, 2003... Galantamine (Reminyl) is a recent addition to the class of drugs known as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, a class of agents commonly used to treat patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Galantamine is unique because of its dual mechanism of...

Memantine-donepezil combination for severe AD.(APA Conference Notes)
December 1, 2003... In October 2003, memantine (Namenda) received approval in the US for the treatment of moderate to severe AD. Previous clinical trials have demonstrated that memantine alone is an effective and well-tolerated therapy, however no trials...

Aripiprazole for AD with psychosis.(APA Conference Notes)
December 1, 2003... Choosing an effective antipsychotic treatment for elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia is difficult--it is essential to select a treatment with an acceptable safety and tolerability profile for use in this patient...

Weekly fluoxetine for depression with medical comorbidities.(APA Conference Notes)
December 1, 2003... Fluoxetine is the only antidepressant currently approved by the FDA for the treatment of geriatric depression. An enteric-coated formulation of fluoxetine (Prozac Weekly) administered on a weekly basis has been shown to be well tolerated and...

Galantamine (generic) ~ Reminyl (brand).(Your Medication Information)
December 1, 2003... Classification: Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Common Usage: Galantamine is used for treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Important Side Effects: The most common side effects occurring in clinical trials of galantamine...

Antibiotics for AD.(News Updates)
December 1, 2003... At the 41st Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), researchers presented a study showing that two common antibiotics taken together may delay the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The concept of using...

Quetiapine approved for mania.(News Update)
December 1, 2003... AstraZeneca received an approvable letter from the FDA in response to its Supplemental New Drug Applications (sNDAs) for the use of quetiapine (Seroquel) as both an adjunct and monotherapy for the treatment of manic episodes associated with...

New drugs for GAD.(News Update)
December 1, 2003... Decision Resources, Inc., a research and advisory firm, has forecast that five new drugs will gain marketing approval for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) by 2008, PR Newswire reported. Those drugs include, Pfizer's pregabalin; Lundbeck/...

Forest receives approvable letter for escitalopram for GAD.(News Update)
December 1, 2003... Forest Laboratories, Inc., recently announced that it has received an approvable letter from the FDA to expand the use of escitalopram (Lexapro) to include the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The selective serotonin reuptake...

Transplant therapy for PD suffers setback.(News Update)
December 1, 2003... A recent article in the Annals of Neurology concluded that transplanting fetal tissue into the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) is not ready for widespread, therapeutic use. This double-blind, placebo controlled trial involving...

Pancytopenia with quetiapine.(Case Report)
December 1, 2003... # Patients: 1 male (71 y/o) Medications: quetiapine (Seroquel) Comments: : A 71-year old Caucasian man with a history of Parkinson's disease (PD) was admitted to the hospital because of a worsening of PD symptoms. At admittance, he was...