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Suggest Treatment For Schizoaffective Disorder In An Elderly Person
I am a psychiatrist treating a 75 yr old fairly healthy lady with schizoaffective disorder. She has not been sleeping at all, even with 20 mg olanzapine at night, as a result of her psychosis. Until she can be admitted to a Geri-psych unit in a local hospital, I want to use the safest and most effective sedative at night. I am familiar with chloral hydrate and oxazepam. Which is safest and yet still effective? Dr. Dee Prescott
Tue, 2 Apr 2019
Hello,
The treatment of schizophrenia, in general, involves pharmacologic treatment with antipsychotic agents in conjunction with psychosocial interventions.
Risperidone (1.25–3.5 mg/day) serves as a first-line treatment for the treatment of it in late life. Quetiapine (100–300 mg/day), olanzapine (7.5–15 mg/day), and aripiprazole (15–30 mg/day) were recommended as second-line approaches.
There was limited support for use of clozapine, ziprasidone and high potency conventional agents as additional options for the treatment of schizoaffective in the elderly.
The use of antipsychotics to treat elderly patients must be initiated at much lower doses than would be used to treat younger patients. Oxazepam WILL BE the safest and yet still effective to induce sleep.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Take care
Regards,
Dr AJEET SINGH, General & Family Physician
The treatment of schizophrenia, in general, involves pharmacologic treatment with antipsychotic agents in conjunction with psychosocial interventions.
Risperidone (1.25–3.5 mg/day) serves as a first-line treatment for the treatment of it in late life. Quetiapine (100–300 mg/day), olanzapine (7.5–15 mg/day), and aripiprazole (15–30 mg/day) were recommended as second-line approaches.
There was limited support for use of clozapine, ziprasidone and high potency conventional agents as additional options for the treatment of schizoaffective in the elderly.
The use of antipsychotics to treat elderly patients must be initiated at much lower doses than would be used to treat younger patients. Oxazepam WILL BE the safest and yet still effective to induce sleep.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Take care
Regards,
Dr AJEET SINGH, General & Family Physician
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