Venlafaxine for Depression in Alzheimer's Disease
This study will test the use of venlafaxine to treat the depression in Alzheimer's Disease. Venlafaxine works by increasing natural substances in the brain (serotonin and norepinephrine) that help maintain mental balance. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the commonest neurodegenerative disease of aging and the cause of major financial and emotional burden to patients, families and caregivers, and society. Depression is a very common symptom of AD, affecting as many as 50% of patients over their illness. Depression in AD (Alzheimer's disease) contributes greatly to patient disability and caregiver distress. Neither psychosocial interventions nor psychotropic medications have proven effective to date for the treatment of depression in AD.Venlafaxine is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of major depression but it is not known whether or not it can help depression in Alzheimer's Disease.
• Dementia due to Alzheimer's disease by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Diploma in Social Medicine (DSM)-IV (TR) criteria (90), with a Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) (82) score of 10-26 inclusive;
• Depression as defined by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Consensus Criteria,
• Clinical Dementia Rating Scale of 1 mild or 2 moderate. Ratings of 3 severe will be excluded because many of the instruments lack validity in the presence of severe cognitive impairment, particularly language deficits.
• Sufficiently good health to be treated using the study protocol in usual care circumstances;
• Patient or surrogate and caregiver provides informed consent for participation in the study;
• A caregiver is available who spends at least 10 hours per week with the patient, supervises her care, and is willing to accompany the patient to study visits and to provide information about the patient.