The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Jul 2006
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of donepezil on neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with dementia and severe behavioral disorders.
The objective of this study was to conduct exploratory analyses of data pertaining to the efficacy of donepezil treatment of patients with severe behavioral disturbances. Preliminary studies suggest that cholinesterase inhibitors, including donepezil, may reduce behavioral disturbances in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Most patients included in clinical trials have had low levels of psychopathology at baseline, and the effect of cholinesterase inhibitors on patients with more severe behavioral disturbances is unknown. The authors report the effects of donepezil on behavioral disturbances in patients with relatively severe psychopathology at baseline. ⋯ The results of these analyses suggest that donepezil reduces behavioral symptoms, particularly mood disturbances and delusions, in patients with AD with relatively severe psychopathology.