Alternatives to Seroquel for Dementia

Seroquel is primarily used for sufferers of acute episodes and maintenance of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with or without depression. Both conditions may, require hospitalization for continuous observation and the effectiveness of the current treatment plan.

There are two types of Seroquel, those imprinted with XR on the tablets, and those with no annotations, which is Seroquel IR. The tablet with the XR stamping refers to extended release, which means the medication slowly enters the bloodstream. The IR Seroquel means the dosage enters the bloodstream all at once.

Dementia

• Psychiatrists are the physicians most likely to prescribe this medication since a psychiatric diagnosis should be made prior to the prescription of this medication.

  Dementia relates to memory loss. Everyone forgets where they placed the car keys or whether they need to buy bread at the market. These short-term memory lapses are typical and normal to everyday life, but dementia is not.

  Loss of mental skill sets such as remembering to brush one's teeth and hair or to notice that the socks worn do not match, are some indicators of dementia. Dementia usually worsens over time. The time and dementia equation is individualized; some get worse quickly while others remain the same. Chances of getting dementia increases with age, however, not all people get dementia.

  According to the Alzheimer's Foundation and Healthwise, a general health information center, approximately 35 out of 100 people may be diagnosed with dementia by the time they reach age 85.

Seroquel Alternatives for Dementia

• It is strongly recommended not to use Seroquel when a diagnosis of dementia has been established. Seroquel is contraindicated in most instances of dementia for important reasons. The following is direct from the manufacturer of Seroquel, Astrazeneca-US. "Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis (having lost touch with reality due to confusion and memory loss) treated with this type of medicine are at an increased risk of death, compared to placebo (sugar pill). SEROQUEL XR is not approved for treating these patients."

  There are two treatment types for dementia with psychiatric symptoms such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The first of these are nondrug interventions, which should naturally be used first. With this type of intervention, the environment is carefully reviewed for any changes, such as a different caregiver, houseguest or change in living arrangements, as well as a host of other environmental changes that can deeply affect the mood of someone with dementia. These triggers, if correctly identified, will help in selecting the best approach for the individual concerned.

  The second intervention is with use of pharmaceutical agents that have no resemblance to Seroquel. The best alternative to Seroquel for dementia depends on the symptoms present. For low mood and irritability, the following medications have proven to be effective: Celexa, Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft and Desyrel. Please note that these medications do require a physician's prescription and prior evaluation

  Ativan and Serax are commonly used to relieve anxiety, restlessness and disruptive behavior. When psychotic, hallucinatory and delusions are present, newer agents such as Abilify, Zyprexa, Risperdal and older, first-generation drugs such as Haldol are also effective.

  Use of these antipsychotic medications requires extreme caution, according to the Food and Drug Administration. They have asked all manufacturers of these products to include a "black box" warning with the following statement "Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with atypical antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death compared to placebo."

  In the end, the best that can be done is careful observation and nondrug interventions with postponement of medications as long as possible.