title: Risperidone for dementia-related disturbed behavior in nursing home residents: a clinical experience.
abstract: Many nursing home residents are candidates for antipsychotic pharmacotherapy for dementia-related behavioral disturbances that include physical agitation and aggression, verbal outbursts, anxiety, and depression. These patients are often resistant to or intolerant of standard neuroleptics and are usually receiving multiple medications for concurrent psychiatric or medical conditions. New medications must be carefully considered because they may interact with concurrent medications or aggravate concurrent medical problems. Low doses of risperidone may be better tolerated in the elderly because the drug poses little risk of extrapyramidal side effects or blood disorders. One hundred and nine patients with dementia-related behavioral disturbances were studied in 9 nursing homes; most initially received 0.25 to 0.5 mg of risperidone twice daily. Their behavior was recorded for up to 6 months on questionnaires completed by a nursing staff member at each home. Risperidone was well tolerated overall and nursing staff viewed it as helpful in 38 of 100 patients, moderately helpful in 26, slightly helpful in 17, and not helpful in 19.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Medicine, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goldberg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications*; D004351:Drug Resistance; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D009735:Nursing Homes; D018967:Risperidone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D018967:Risperidone