MADRID — Oxcarbazepine appears to significantly decrease hypersexual behavior in patients with Alzheimer's disease, Dr. Joshua Shua-Haim reported in a poster at the 10th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders.
All 11 men in the small pilot study showed improvement in the behavior by 2 weeks of treatment, said Dr. Shua-Haim of the Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, N.J.
All of the patients lived in a special care unit in an assisted living facility. Treatment began with 150 mg oxcarbazepine daily. The dose was titrated by 150 mg/day, given in two divided doses, until the behavior ceased or a maximum of 900 mg/day was reached.
Hypersexual behavior resolved in all 11 patients, at an average dose of 600–750 mg/day, given in two doses. No adverse events were reported, and there were no changes in blood chemistry.