Abstract | BACKGROUND: Agitation is a common experience for people living with dementia, particularly as day-to-day function and cognition start to decline more. At the present time there are limited pharmacological options for relieving agitation and little is known about the safety and efficacy of opioid drugs in this setting. OBJECTIVES: To determine the clinical efficacy and safety of opioids for agitation in people with dementia. SEARCH METHODS: SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised, controlled trials of opioids compared to placebo for agitation in people with dementia. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently assessed the studies identified by the search against the inclusion criteria. MAIN RESULTS: There are currently no completed randomised, placebo controlled trials of opioids for agitation in dementia. There are two potentially relevant trials still in progress. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We found insufficient evidence to establish the clinical efficacy and safety of opioids for agitation in people with dementia. There remains a lack of data to determine if or when opioids either relieve or exacerbate agitation. More evidence is needed to guide the effective, appropriate and safe use of opioids in dementia.
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Authors | Richard Brown, Robert Howard, Bridget Candy, Elizabeth L Sampson |
Journal | The Cochrane database of systematic reviews
(Cochrane Database Syst Rev)
Issue 5
Pg. CD009705
(May 14 2015)
ISSN: 1469-493X [Electronic] England |
PMID | 25972091
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Review, Systematic Review)
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Chemical References |
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Topics |
- Analgesics, Opioid
(therapeutic use)
- Dementia
(psychology)
- Humans
- Psychomotor Agitation
(drug therapy)
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