Garrigan, KatherineMacDonald, LFinucane, GSnow, BRoxburgh, Richard2012-05-232012-07Intern Med J 06 Apr 20111444-0903https://hdl.handle.net/2292/18278Background: The American Academy of Neurology considers clozapine first line treatment for psychosis in PD. In practice, patients are typically treated with quetiapine initially despite only level C evidence for use due to concern about side effects, and changed to clozapine if they fail this. Aims: to review the use of antipsychotics in patients with PD and the demographics of PD patients who develop psychosis. Methods: Patients with PD on antipsychotic medications were identified by the Movement Disorder nurse specialist database and by reviewing patients admitted to Auckland City Hospital from January 2006 until March 2008. The demographic data, details of PD and antipsychotic use and comorbidities were recorded. Results: Sixty-six patients with PD on antipsychotics were identified. The mean age was 75 years and 48 (73%) were in residential care. Patients admitted on antipsychotics had longer disease duration (p < 0.001) and were more likely to have cognitive impairment (p = 0.02) than those admitted not on antipsychotics. The most common indication for use was hallucinations. Patients on clozapine were younger (p < 0.005) and had less co morbidity (p = 0.04) than those on quetiapine. Fifty percent (6/12) of patients on clozapine had previously failed quetiapine. Conclusion: Quetiapine has a good efficacy rate with minimal side effects. This study lends support to the assumption that quetiapine is a useful medication. However clozapine also was well tolerated and could be considered for use more frequently than it is.Items in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. Previously published items are made available in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Details obtained from http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/1444-0903/https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htmJournal Article10.1111/j.1445-5994.2011.02499.xCopyright: Wiley-Blackwell; Royal Australasian College of Physicians21470354http://purl.org/eprint/accessRights/RestrictedAccess1445-5994