Fifty-nine elderly residents of long-term care facilities who had DSM-
III diagnoses of dementia were studied in an 8-week randomized, double-
blind comparison trial of haloperidol, oxazepam, and diphenhydramine to
test the efficacy of these agents in the treatment of clinically
significant behavioral disturbances in patients with dementia. All three
agents demonstrated modest but significant efficacy as measured by
clinician ratings of agitated behavior and activities of daily living. The
absolute magnitude of improvement was greater for haloperidol and
diphenhydramine than for oxazepam, but differences among groups did not
approach statistical significance. Frequencies of acute adverse events
during the trial were similar across the drug treatment groups. Although
these drugs may differ in terms of long-term safety and efficacy, they
appear to be equivalent for short-term management of agitated behavior in
severely demented patients.
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