The efficacy and safety of risperidone for the treatment of geriatric psychosis.

Risperidone is an atypical antipsychotic drug which has been suggested to be beneficial for the treatment of elderly patients with psychotic symptoms. In this study, we assessed the short-term efficacy and the safety of risperidone in geropsychiatric inpatients with psychotic symptoms. The sample population included 110 elderly inpatients with psychotic disorders. Assessment for drug efficacy using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Sandoz Clinical Assessment-Geriatric scale, and Clinical Global Impression scale was conducted at baseline and also at 4 weeks subsequent to risperidone treatment commencement. Subsequent to commencing risperidone treatment, 80 patients completed a 4-week therapeutic evaluation. Seventy (87.5%) of the 80 patients experienced mild to substantial improvement using the Clinical Global Impression scale. Adverse effects were monitored in all 110 patients. The most commonly detected adverse effects were weakness of legs or walking problems (43/110; 39.1%) and dizziness (32/110; 29.1%). Peripheral edema was noted in 18 (16.4%) patients. Risperidone, in low doses, appeared to have been effective in this sample of patients older than 65 years with psychotic symptoms. The mean dose (2.1 +/- SD 1.4 mg/day) applied was lower then that suggested for young patients and was related to the each specific patient diagnosis. Peripheral edema and walking problems were commonly observed adverse effects for these elderly patients, such problems having not been seen to the same extent in previous studies of young patients.