The modern role of antipsychotics for the treatment of agitation and psychosis in Alzheimer's disease.

The modern role of antipsychotics for the treatment of agitation and psychosis in Alzheimer's disease. Expert Rev Neurother. 2018 May 15;: Authors: Creese B, Da Silva MV, Johar I, Ballard C Abstract INTRODUCTION: Antipsychotics have long been the mainstay of treatment for agitation and psychosis in Alzheimer's disease. Despite their current use successive studies have shown that they only confer a modest benefit which must be balanced against their well-established serious side effects (extrapyramidal symptoms, stroke, accelerated cognitive decline and mortality). Areas covered: This review outlines the current guidance on antipsychotic usage and the evidence of their continued usage against a backdrop of emerging pharmacological treatments and an increasing emphasis on the importance of non-pharmacological interventions. Expert Commentary: The current justification for antipsychotic us in the context the changing landscape of prescribing and provide a view on the most promising alternative candidates to this class of drug are appraised. PMID: 29764230 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics - Category: Neurology Tags: Expert Rev Neurother Source Type: research