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Tolerability and Effectiveness of Lamotrigine in Complex Elderly Patients

VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Mental Illness Research, Educational and Clinical Center and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine

James W. Hawkins, MD

VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Mental Illness Research, Educational and Clinical Center and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine

Herman S. Athwal, MD

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine

Javaid I. Sheikh, MD

VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Mental Illness Research, Educational and Clinical Center and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine

Jerome Yesavage, MD

VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Mental Illness Research, Educational and Clinical Center and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine

Jared R. Tinklenberg, MD

VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Mental Illness Research, Educational and Clinical Center and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine

There is paucity of medical literature on the use of lamotrigine in elderly patients who have behavior problems and diverse psychiatric syndromes. This article is a retrospective case series summarizing the authors’ experience with this medication. In a 20-patient case series from an institutional review board-approved retrospective chart review, the tolerability and efficacy of lamotrigine was evaluated for the management of agitated and aggressive behaviors in nursing home patients with a range of psychiatric and medical diagnoses. Nineteen of the elderly nursing home patients tolerated lamotrigine treatment, and 18 showed modest clinical improvement. These results support the authors’ belief that controlled clinical investigations of this medication should be performed. (J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2005; 18:8-11)

Key Words: lamotrigine • geriatrics • agitation • aggression • dementia

Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, Vol. 18, No. 1, 8-11 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0891988704271762


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