Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment

Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment

Alzheimer's Disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder, is pathologically identified by amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles composed of tau protein. AD pharmacotherapy aims to manage cognitive symptoms, delay disease progression, and treat behavioral symptoms. The treatment is primarily symptomatic and palliative, with no definitive disease-modifying therapy available. Cholinesterase inhibitors, including donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), and galantamine (Razadyne), are...

Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients

Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients

Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...

Rational Dosage Regimen: Maintenance Dose and Loading Dose

Rational Dosage Regimen: Maintenance Dose and Loading Dose

A rational dosage regimen considers a drug's pharmacokinetics, including its absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination from the body. By understanding these factors, the appropriate dosage can be determined, and the dosing schedule can be designed to achieve and maintain the desired therapeutic effect while minimizing adverse effects.
In most cases, drugs are administered repetitively or infused continuously to maintain a steady-state concentration in the body. At a steady state,...

Dosage Regimen: Fixed Dose

Dosage Regimen: Fixed Dose

Fixed-dose regimens are a common approach to administer drugs to achieve and maintain desired levels of the drug in the body. In this dosing strategy, a specific amount of medication is given at regular intervals, often multiple times a day, to ensure a consistent drug concentration in the bloodstream.
Fixed-dose regimens can be used for various routes of administration, including intravenous (IV) injections and oral medications. For IV administration, a predetermined amount of the drug is...

Dosage Regimen: Individualization

Dosage Regimen: Individualization

Individualization in dosing regimens is the customization of medication doses for individual patients. Its necessity arises from the goal of maximizing therapeutic benefits while minimizing risks. This approach is pivotal because human responses to drugs can vary widely; what is effective for one person may be inadequate or excessive for another. Interpatient (intersubject) variability refers to differences in drug responses between individuals, while intrapatient (intrasubject) variability...

Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy

Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy

Antipsychotic drugs are a crucial treatment method for acute and chronic psychoses, bipolar illness, and behavioral disorders. The selection of these drugs depends on several factors, including the state of the disease, clinical judgment, possible drug interactions, and the patient's sensitivity to adverse effects. In immediate scenarios, such as delirium and dementia, short-term treatment with low doses of high-potency typical or atypical agents can effectively manage symptom exacerbation. For...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Evaluation of generational influences among 4th year pharmacy students and experiential preceptors.

Currents in pharmacy teaching & learning·2019

Same author

Treatment of dyslipidemia with statins by primary care providers in Veterans with and without chronic Hepatitis C.

American journal of health-system pharmacy : AJHP : official journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists·2016

Same author

Managing drug-resistant organisms in acute care.

The Nurse practitioner·2016

Same author

Aclidinium bromide: an alternative long-acting inhaled anticholinergic in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The Annals of pharmacotherapy·2013

Same author

Baseline antiretroviral resistance and clinical outcomes in an urban HIV clinic.

AIDS patient care and STDs·2013

Same author

Prospective measurement of a problem-based learning course sequence.

American journal of pharmaceutical education·2012

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Valproic acid in dementia: does an optimal dose exist?

Christian R Dolder¹, Kimberly L Nealy, Jonathan McKinsey

¹School of Pharmacy, Wingate University, Wingate, NC 28174, USA. cdolder@wingate.edu

Journal of Pharmacy Practice

|November 19, 2011

Summary

Valproic acid shows limited efficacy for dementia agitation. Optimal dosing for valproic acid (VPA) remains unclear, with low doses potentially improving agitation but causing side effects.

Related Experiment Videos

Area of Science:

Geriatric Psychiatry
Pharmacology
Clinical Neurology

Background:

Valproic acid (VPA) is frequently prescribed for behavioral disturbances in dementia patients.
Existing research on VPA's efficacy and optimal dosing in dementia presents mixed findings and uncertainties.

Purpose of the Study:

To review published trials and identify an optimal dosing strategy for valproic acid in dementia treatment.
To compare published study dosing with real-world prescribing patterns over five years.

Main Methods:

Systematic review of twenty studies meeting selection criteria.
Retrospective analysis of a 5-year real-world prescribing sample.
Comparison of uncontrolled and placebo-controlled trial designs.

Main Results:

Low doses (7-12 mg/kg/day) and serum levels (40-60 mcg/mL) of valproic acid were associated with agitation improvement in some uncontrolled studies.
These levels showed no significant behavioral improvement in most placebo-controlled studies and led to side effects.
Significant differences in trial design were noted between controlled and uncontrolled studies.

Conclusions:

Valproic acid demonstrates limited efficacy as a monotherapy for managing dementia-related behavioral disturbances.
Its potential role may lie in combination therapy with other psychotropics for agitation associated with dementia.