Treatment-Resistant Agitation in the Dementia Patient

Dementia leads to a variety of health complications among the elderly population. While there are many prescription drugs on the market designed to slow the progress of dementia, far more are designed to treatment the symptoms.

Agitation is a large focus of dementia symptom management. For many elderly adults, agitation is well managed with medication use. However, for some seniors, the symptoms and expression of agitation, as it related to dementia, can be complex and difficult to treat. Commonly referred to as treatment-resistant agitation, family members and healthcare workers often feel strained to find remedies for this complication of dementia.

Treatment-resistant agitation can be resolved in some dementia patients. In fact, in recent years, the use of atypical antipsychotic drugs has shown to provide some relief. For example, clozapine has been widely used to manage treatment-resistant schizophrenia symptoms and, when used in dementia patients, may also provide some relief to the difficult aspects of agitation.

Clozapine has been so effective in the application of geriatric medicine that, today, many healthcare professionals turn to clozapine on a more regular basis, without regard to the complication the senior adult may be experiencing. For those with Parkinson's disease, however, clozapine may not be indicated.

If you are caring for a loved one who suffers from agitation associated with dementia, and that agitation does not appear to be responding to traditional dementia medications, ask the healthcare professional about the use of clozapine. While clozapine may produce significant sedation and complications such as constipation, the benefits of this antipsychotic drug therapy may far outweigh the risks and side effects.