She could not explain why she was scratching and, in fact, denied itchiness in the area. Ten patients with probable Alzheimer's disease participated in an open-label study of buspirone for agitation. Address correspondence to Dr. Helvink, c/o Suzanne Holroyd, M.D., Box 800623, Charlottesville, VA 22908; Copyright © 2006 American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. It is possible that, as a 5-HT1A antagonist, buspirone works through a serotonergic mechanism to decrease these behaviors.
No side effects were noted.An 84-year-old married white woman with a diagnosis of dementia due to alcoholism began picking and scratching at her frontal scalp, causing a localized loss of hair and bleeding of the scalp. Treatments from a dermatologist did not change her scratching behaviors, and there were no apparent mood symptoms. The patient denied any complaints of itching or other symptoms to explain his picking except in one interview where he gave the explanation that he had gun pellets under his arm that needed to be removed. To help, …

His buspirone dose was then increased to 7.5 mg b.i.d. A significant decrease in agitation scores occurred at an average dose of 35 mg/day.We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content and ads. She denied itching and could not explain her scratching behavior. She also had a history of depression, although in full remission at the time of this study, taking venlafaxine XR 75 mg per day.

The starting dose of 15 mg/day was increased by 5 mg every week until … The skin picking was isolated to his left arm and resulted in skin breakdown and infection. Olanzapine treatment of psychotic and behavioral symptoms in patients with Alzheimer’s disease … An additional midday dose of 5 mg of buspirone resulted in full improvement. 2Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Vol. 3DSM-5® Handbook on the Cultural Formulation InterviewThe Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences No side effects were noted.An 83-year-old white woman with vascular dementia developed skin breakdown on her legs and abdomen, with persistent scratching. Because patients with moderate to severe dementia are unable to describe their mental state in detail, if at all, it is difficult to know whether the buspirone was relieving the anxiety or another symptom associated with the repetitive behavior.

July 28, 2003 -- Alzheimer's disease can have devastating effects not only on the people with the memory-robbing disease, but also on their families and caregivers. 4. resulted in a marked reduction in scratching, which resulted in healing of the skin.

Olanzapine (Zyprexa) is one of a group of newer antipsychotic medications called atypical antipsychotics.


resulted in improvement of the scratching behaviors and healing of her skin. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. The patient could not explain a reason for the scratching, denying any symptoms of itching or discomfort, and there was no psychosis noted. Since the symptoms did not recur in the following 3 months, a taper in the buspirone was attempted, but the hair pulling/eating behaviors recurred.

These types of medication are seen as a better choice for people with Alzheimer's than other older antipsychotic medications. 19, No. This led to significant improvement in his skin picking, with healing of the skin. By continuing you agree to the Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. or its licensors or contributors. Due to severity of dementia, and essential mutism, she could offer no reason for the behavior.

Currently, very little is known about treatment for stereotypic behaviors in dementia.

A trial of buspirone 5 mg b.i.d. He was started on buspirone 5 mg b.i.d., and after 1 month, the behavior decreased only slightly. Falls are common among dementia patients, with up to 30% of them leading to serious injuries, according to a 2018 study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

No affective symptoms were noted. Enter your email address below and we will send you the reset instructionsIf the address matches an existing account you will receive an email with instructions to reset your passwordEnter your email address below and we will send you your usernameIf the address matches an existing account you will receive an email with instructions to retrieve your usernameThe American Psychiatric Association (APA) has updated its American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementiasr, Vol.