Antidepressant good as antipsychotic for dementia, fewer side-effects: study

From the Canadian Press:
An antidepressant appears to work as well as the most commonly prescribed antipsychotic medication in treating agitation and aggressive behaviour in people with Alzheimer's - but without the severe side-effects, a Canadian study suggests.

Researchers at Toronto's Baycrest geriatric centre and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health teamed up to conduct a head-to-head trial of the antidepressant citalopram (Celexa) and the antipsychotic risperidone (Risperdal) in non-depressed patients with dementia.

During the 12-week study, 53 patients were treated with citalopram - one of the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, or SSRIs - and 50 received risperidone. Researchers found that the two medications were almost equally effective in controlling psychotic behaviour in patients. ...more