Tolerability and effectiveness of atypical antipsychotics in male geriatric inpatients

The atypical antipsychotics are gradually becoming the mainstay of treatment for psychosis in the elderly. The present study examines the effectiveness and tolerability of risperidone and olanzapine treatment in 34 matched male patients admitted to a VA Medical Center geriatric inpatient unit. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia (PANSS), the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI), the Rating Scale for Side-Effects, the Extra-Pyramidal Rating Scale, and the Mini-Mental State Examination were administered at admission and discharge. T-tests at admission and discharge across groups indicate that the patients as a whole were performing significantly better following their stay on the CMAI (t(30)=4.31, p=0.000), the GAF (t(31)=9.73, p=0.000), the PANSS total score (t(29)=3.82, p=0.001), and the positive symptom portion of the PANSS (t(28)=4.29, p=0.000). No significant differences were detected between the two groups with regard to length of hospitalization, or reduction in scores on the PANSS, or CMAI, however the daily cost of risperidone was 1/3 as much as olanzapine (p=0.00). The two treatments were comparable in the elderly men evaluated in this study.