Escitalopram w leczeniu zaburzeń psychicznych chorych w podeszłym wieku

• Authors: Tomasz Sobów

Title variants

EN

Escitalopram in the treatment of mental disorders in elderly patients

• Languages of publication: EN PL

Abstracts

EN

The pharmacotherapy of mental disorders is often difficult in the elderly and might be limited by several factors, including medication side effects, drug–drug interactions as well as psychiatric and somatic comorbidities, which are all more common than in younger patients. These aspects of therapy, together with the multifactorial pathogenesis as well as a well-known increased placebo response, lead to overall lower effectiveness of drug therapies in the elderly. The choice of medication, taking into account its proven efficacy and safety, is therefore a key to a successful treatment. Escitalopram is a promising agent for treating older patients. Its pharmacodynamic selectivity, beneficial pharmacokinetic profile (including a relatively low potential of inducing drug interactions) and relatively rare incidence of severe side effects, together with acceptable efficacy in clinical trials, resulted in its common use for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders (including those with presumable organic causes) and, recently, as a drug for agitation, aggression and psychosis that accompany dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. Additionally, escitalopram is easy to use. A once-daily schedule as well as the availability of a non-tablet formulation (oral drops) is a further advantage, particularly for patients with swallowing difficulties, gastrostomy (enteral nutrition), those who take many medications and for patients with cognitive impairment.

PL

Farmakoterapia zaburzeń psychicznych u chorych w podeszłym wieku jest często trudna i ograniczona powszechniejszym niż u młodszych chorych występowaniem objawów niepożądanych, interakcji lekowych oraz koniecznością brania pod uwagę współchorobowości, nie tylko psychiatrycznej, ale przede wszystkim – somatycznej. Te aspekty, razem z wieloczynnikową patogenezą zaburzeń i znaczną w wielu badaniach odpowiedzią placebo, prowadzą do względnie niższych wskaźników efektywności klinicznej leczenia. Właściwy wybór leku, uwzględniający jego skuteczność i bezpieczeństwo, jest zatem kluczowy dla sukcesu terapii. Escitalopram to obiecujący lek dla starszych chorych. Jego znaczna selektywność farmakodynamiczna, korzystny profil farmakokinetyczny, w tym stosunkowo niewielki potencjał wchodzenia w interakcje lekowe, oraz dość rzadkie wywoływanie poważnych objawów ubocznych spowodowały – wraz z zadowalającymi wynikami badań klinicznych – częste i z korzyścią dla pacjentów stosowanie escitalopramu w zaburzeniach nastroju (także w tzw. organicznych) i zaburzeniach lękowych, a ostatnio jako leku korygującego zaburzenia zachowania towarzyszące otępieniu, takie jak pobudzenie, agresja czy psychoza. Dodatkowym ważnym aspektem stosowania escitalopramu jest łatwość podawania (jedna dawka na dobę) oraz dostępność postaci w kroplach, która może być szczególnie użyteczna dla chorych z problemami w połykaniu, przyjmujących wiele leków, karmionych poprzez gastrostomię czy z zaburzeniami funkcji poznawczych.

Keywords

EN

agitation; depresja; depression; elderly; escitalopram; farmakoterapia; pharmaceutical formulation; pharmacotherapy; pobudzenie; postać farmaceutyczna; starsi chorzy

Discipline

• MEDICINE: MEDICINE

• Publisher: Medical Communications
• Journal: Psychiatria i Psychologia Kliniczna
• Year: 2015
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 93-98

Contributors

author

Tomasz Sobów

• Escitalopram in the treatment of mental disorders in elderly patients

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• Document Type: review