Title:Amphetamine Use in the Elderly: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Volume: 18
Issue: 2
Author(s): Karina Lúcia Moreira Sassi, Natalia Pessoa Rocha, Gabriela Delevati Colpo, Vineeth John and Antonio Lucio Teixeira*
Affiliation:
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX,United States
Keywords:
Stimulant, amphetamine, methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine, dementia, elderly.
Abstract:
Objective: To systematically review the literature on the therapeutic use of amphetamine,
lisdexamfetamine and methylphenidate in elderly population with and without dementia.
Methods: We conducted two researches on the PubMed, Scopus and Embase using the keywords
(“elderly”) AND (“amphetamine” OR “methylphenidate” OR “lisdexamfetamine”) and then (“Alzheimer”
OR “dementia”) AND (“amphetamine” OR “methylphenidate” OR “lisdexamfetamine”).
Results: Twenty-nine papers met all the eligibility criteria. The results are encouraging as 81.5% of
the studies showed clinical improvement of the investigated condition.
Conclusion: Amphetamines and methylphenidate are probably effective strategies for different
conditions in the elderly population. However, further studies are needed to provide more robust
evidence on efficacy, dosage and safety for this population.