Use of Suvorexant and Antipsychotics in the Treatment of Delirium After Infectious Diseases: A Retrospective Study.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Delirium is often treated on a subjective basis and per the discretion of the attending physician because of a lack of pharmacological evidence in the literature. To address this knowledge gap, we aimed to examine the efficacy of a hypnotic drug, suvorexant, as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of delirium.

METHODS:

Fifty-seven patients were targeted. Of the 57 patients, 39 were in the subolexant group, 17 in the antipsychotic group, and 1 was taking antidepressants. The Delirium Rating Scale-Revised 98 was used to evaluate the symptoms of delirium before and 3 and 7 days after drug administration. In addition, the medical history, occurrence of adverse effects, white blood cell count, and C-reactive protein level of participants were examined.

RESULTS:

Both drugs exhibited therapeutic effects on delirium, but suvorexant had a more pronounced effect. Furthermore, the suvorexant group exhibited decreased levels of C-reactive protein, suggesting an anti-inflammatory effect. Suvorexant seems to improve the symptoms of inflammation-related delirium without any serious adverse effects, suggesting that it can be explored as a safe treatment option for clinical use in future studies.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our findings will be relevant for physicians interested in learning about new pharmacological treatment options and researchers interested in validating our results.

• Authors: Kazumaro Okino, Hiroki Yamada, Hiroi Tomioka, Shinji Nozaki, Akira Iwanami, Atsuko Inamoto
• Journal: Journal of clinical psychopharmacology (J Clin Psychopharmacol) 2021 Sep-Oct 01 Vol. 41 Issue 5 Pg. 589-593 ISSN: 1533-712X [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 34411006 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Antipsychotic Agents
• Azepines
• Triazoles
• suvorexant

Topics

• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Antipsychotic Agents (therapeutic use)
• Azepines (therapeutic use)
• Communicable Diseases (complications)
• Delirium (drug therapy, etiology)
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Retrospective Studies
• Treatment Outcome
• Triazoles (therapeutic use)