The Brown University Geriatric Psychopharmacology Update articles from January 2003

The Brown University Geriatric Psychopharmacology Update archives from January 2003

Study: monitoring brain activity in elderly could aid depression treatment. (Special Report on Geriatric Depression).
January 1, 2003... Observing the effect of antidepressant medication on brain metabolism in elderly patients may give doctors new insight into why 25 percent of depressed seniors gain little benefit from a widely prescribed class of antidepressants that focus on...

The Duke Somatic Treatment Algorithm for Geriatric Depression (STAGED). (New Guideline Available).
January 1, 2003... David C. Steffens, M.D., and K. Ranga Rama Krishnan, M.D., led six other clinicians in the development of the Duke Somatic Treatment Algorithm for Geriatric Depression (STAGED); an algorithm consisting of five stages to treat elderly depressed...

Tranylcypromine used safely in depressed patient taking epinephrine and other agents. (Drug-Drug Interactions).
January 1, 2003... The availability of safer antidepressants such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors has resulted in a decline in the use of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) for treatment of depression. In addition to serious side effects...

Duloxetine deemed safe in elderly patients. (New research presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine).
January 1, 2003... A team of investigators conducted a meta-analysis of safety data in six studies of duloxetine (Cymbalta) used to treat depression in patients over 55 years old. All six studies were double-blind, placebo-controlled trials and involved 209...

Low-dose risperidone treats delirium in open trial. (New research presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine).
January 1, 2003... A team of researchers found that low doses of risperidone (Risperdal) improved cognition and symptoms of delirium in an open-label prospective trial. Ten medically ill patients with DSM-IV diagnoses of delirium and Delirium Rating Scale (DRS)...

Memantine may prove effective in combination with donepezil.(for Alzheimer's disease treatment)
January 1, 2003... Favorable results from a six-month study of combined treatment with memantine and donepezil (Aricept) were reported at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuro-psychopharmacology. The study included more than 400 patients with...

White matter abnormalities may predict drug response. (Clinical Notes).
January 1, 2003... Researchers recently investigated the relationship between microstructural abnormalities in white matter areas of the brain and rates of remission in geriatric patients receiving antidepressant pharmacotherapy. They found that such...

VNS studied for cognition in Alzheimer's disease. (Clinical Notes).(vagus nerve stimulation)
January 1, 2003... A pilot study of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in patients with Alzheimer's disease found a potential positive effect on cognition. The trial was conducted in 10 patients 67 [+ or -] 7.6 years old with diagnoses of probable Alzheimer's disease...

Hope remains for AD vaccine. (News Updates).(Alzheimer's disease)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Two recent studies provide hope for the development of a vaccine for Alzheimer's disease. The Phase II trial of an investigational vaccine known as AN 1792 was halted in 2002 due to severe brain inflammation in 15 patients. The first study...

Paxil CR has favorable tolerability in elderly depression. (News Updates).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... According to research presented at a recent scientific meeting, the controlled-release formulation of paroxetine (Paxil CR) is safe and effective in treating depression in elderly patients. The 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled trial...

Phase I trial of gene therapy for PD approved. (News Updates).(Parkinson's disease )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... A small Phase I trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD) has been approved by the FDA, in part due to the results of a study recently published in Science. Working with rodents with induced Parkinsonism, Matthew J. During, M.D., and...

Valproate associated with dysmyelopoiesis in two patients. (Case Report).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... # Patients: 2 (1 male, 1 female; both 62 y/o) Medications: valproate (Depakote, Depakene), carbamazepine (Tegretol) Comments: Case 1: A 62-year-old woman with a long history of primary generalized epilepsy was treated with valproate...

Tamoxifen (generic) ~ Nolvadex (brand). (Your Medication Information).
January 1, 2003... Classification: Nonsteroidal antiestrogen antineoplastic. Common Usage: Tamoxifen is used to treat and prevent some types of breast cancer. It has also been studied for the treatment of bipolar disorder. Common Dosages: For patients...