A comparative study of quetiapine and risperidone for behavioral and psychological symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of quetiapine and risperidone for behavioral and psychological symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (BPSD) . Method: A total of 80 patients with BPSD were randomly divided into two groups each of which was treated with quetiapine or risperidone for six weeks. The efficacy was measured with behavioral pathology in Alzheimer's disease rating scale (BEHAVE-AD) and minimental state examination (MMSE) . The side effects were assessed using the treatment emergent symptom scale (TESS) . Results: The two groups showed no significantly different efficacy rate (85% in quetiapine group and 82. 5% in risperidone) . Quetiapine had fewer side effects than risperidone. Conclusion: Both quetiapine and risperidone could improve BPDS. The tolerability and safety of quetiapine was better than risperidone.