Psychiatria pre prax 3/2014

Our experience with behavioral and psychological symptoms treatment with trazodone treatment in patients with mild or moderate Alzheimer´s disease

Objective:Goal of the study was to test trazodone ability to improve behavioral and psychological symptoms in patients with Alzheimer´s disease. Patients and methods:6-week lasting prospective study in patients admitted to women psychogeriatric wards of Mental hospital in Kroměříž from October 2013 to March 2014 has been designed. Group consisted of 58 patients older than 65, with clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer´s disease, who were reffered to hospitalization Instruments used in the study: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Behavioral pathology in Alzheimer´s disease scale BEHAVE-AD (part evaluating clinical symptomatology), 15-item Geriatric depression scale GDS(15), and Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAM-A). These instruments were used initially at the beginning of hospitalization and then 6th week of hospitalization. Trazodone was used for treating behavioral and psychological symptoms of Alzheimer´s disease, monotherapy with trazodone was allowed only. Results:After 6-week treatment with trazodone there was significant improvement in behavioral and psychological symptoms, including depression and anxiety, treatment with trazodone was not interrupted or changed in none of patients. Conclusion:Trazodone could be a perspective drug for treating behavioral and psychological symptoms in Alzheimer´s disease.

Keywords: dementia, trazodone, depression, anxiety, behavioral disturbances.