Effect of Oxcarbazepine in the Treatment of Agitation and Aggression in Severe Dementia.

Author(s): Sommer OH, Aga O, Cvancarova M, Olsen IC, Selbaek G, Engedal K

Affiliation(s): Innlandet Hospital Trust, Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, Reinsvoll, Norway.

Publication date & source: 2009-02-02, Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord., 27(2):155-163 [Epub ahead of print]

Background/Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of oxcarbazepine (OXC) in the treatment of agitation and aggression in patients with Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia or both. Methods: This is an 8-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial carried out independently of the pharmaceutical industry. Changes in the agitation and aggression subscore of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) were the primary outcomes. The secondary out- comes were the changes in the caregivers' total burden scores (measured by the NPI) and changes in the Brief Agitation Rating Scale (BARS). Results: In total, 103 institutionalized patients at 35 sites were randomized to the trial. After 8 weeks, no statistically significant differences were found between the 2 groups for all outcomes. A trend was observed in favor of the OXC group in the reduction in the scores on the BARS (p = 0.07). Conclusion: This study found no significant effect of OXC in treatment of agitation and aggression in patients with dementia. Copyright (c) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.