Guidelines for prescribing psychoactive drugs in the elderly: Part 2.

Antipsychotic drugs are frequently used (and sometimes overused) to manage behavioral problems, especially in demented patients. All antipsychotics theoretically work through the same mechanism, so drug selection is based primarily on side effect profiles. In this article, we provide prescribing guidelines for antipsychotics and other psychoactive drugs used in the treatment of elderly patients with emotional dysfunction. Included are stimulants, lithium, carbamazepine, propranolol HCl, and buspirone HCl. Guidelines for benzodiazepines and antidepressants were discussed in part 1 of this two-part article (page 40).