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Next, let’s look at a how-to on citalopram and escitalopram for agitation in dementia from a paper in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry in May 2019 and its accompanying editorial. One of the implications of this paper and the editorial is be careful what you regulate because we see now a renewed interest in serotonergic antidepressants after the FDA and other international regulatory agencies cautioned about increased mortality associated with second-generation antipsychotics. But are we leaping from a frying pan into the fire here, shifting from atypicals to serotonergic agents for the treatment of agitation in dementia?
Let’s remind that agitation means shouting, cursing, and potentially hitting caregivers or other residents. These behaviors reduce the quality of life for everyone and can lead to the loss of a place to live as well as physical harm. So often, you’re in a position where you have to do something. So,
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