Risperidone offers hope for geriatric psychoses

Abstract

Elderly patients with psychoses represent a difficult challenge with respect to effective pharmacological management. As a group, they are particularly sensitive to the adverse extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) that are associated with conventional antipsychotic agents. The new generation of atypical antipsychotics, such as risperidone, have a reduced propensity for inducing EPS. Evidence is accumulating that risperidone is effective and well tolerated in elderly patients with schizophrenia. Newer studies are also being conducted which are unveiling benefits with risperidone in elderly patients with Alzheimer-type dementias. Recent developments concerning the use of risperidone in the geriatric population were discussed at the 10th Congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology [ Vienna, Austria; September 1997 ].