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Buspirone for the treatment of dementia with behavioral disturbance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 January 2017

Maria R. Santa Cruz ,
Priscilla C. Hidalgo ,
Meredith S. Lee ,
Cornelius W. Thomas  and
Suzanne Holroyd
Maria R. Santa Cruz
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Priscilla C. Hidalgo
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Meredith S. Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Cornelius W. Thomas
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Huntington, West Virginia, USA
Suzanne Holroyd*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Huntington, West Virginia, USA
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Suzanne Holroyd Professor, Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, 1115 20th St. Suite 205, Huntington WV 25703, USA. Phone: +304-691-1550; Fax: +304-523-4358. Email: holroyds@marshall.edu.
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Abstract

Behavioral disturbances are common but serious symptoms in patients with dementia. Currently, there are no FDA approved drugs for this purpose. There have been case reports and small case series of the use of buspirone. In this retrospective study, we review 179 patients prescribed buspirone for treatment of behavioral disturbance in dementia to better characterize the efficacy and potential side effects. All patients prescribed buspirone for behavioral disturbance due to dementia from a geropsychiatric outreach program were reviewed. Data was collected and analyzed using SPSS. One hundred-seventy-nine patients met criteria for the study with a mean age of 83.8 + 7. Alzheimer's dementia was the most common dementia (n = 61; 34.1%) followed by mixed dementia (n = 50, 27.9%) then vascular type (n = 31; 17.3%). Behavioral disturbances were mainly verbal aggression (n = 125; 69.8%), and physical aggression (n = 116; 64.8%). Using the Clinical Global Impression scale, 68.6% of patients responded to buspirone, with 41.8% being moderately to markedly improved. The mean dose of buspirone was 25.7 mg ± 12.50. Buspirone appears to be effective in treating behavioral disturbances in dementia. Future prospective and double blinded studies are needed.

Keywords

buspironedementiabehavioral disturbanceAlzheimer's
Type
Brief Report
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 29 , Issue 5 , May 2017 , pp. 859 - 862
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2017 

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