I did a double take as I read this news article. Is this real? Has medical technology advanced to such a state that only a skin patch is used to treat paranoid?
Maybe I should get one for my mother? She has been paranoid for years!
---------------------------------
The New Paper
25 July 2008
Skin patch helps reduce woman's affair paranoia
The Exelon Patch improves mental functions such as memory and thinking in Alzheimer's patients
By Ng Wan Ching
THE 80-year-old woman was severely paranoid that her husband was having an affair. So much so that her husband made sure all the caregivers in their household in Jakarta were men.
Paranoia can be a symptom of Alzheimer's disease, which was what she was suffering from. Her condition was progressively getting worse. It was also a challenge to get her to take her medicine - she was paranoid that people were poisoning her, so she refused all oral medication.
A few months ago, the elderly woman came to Singapore to see Dr Sitoh Yih Yiow, consultant geriatrician from Age-Link Specialist Clinic for Older Persons.
He prescribed a medicated patch (Exelon Patch), the only skin patch approved for the treatment of mild to moderately severe Alzheimer's dementia here. Dr Sitoh said: 'This mode of delivery of the medication helps both patient and caregiver by providing an easier way to manage their therapy.'
He told the woman's husband to put a patch on her lower back once a day. The drug on the patch is absorbed into her body through the skin. Two months later, when the doctor assessed her, she had improved a little. She was no longer as agitated and paranoid and was a little more amenable to being treated medically.
The patch that Dr Sitoh prescribed is the world's first skin patch to be used in treating Alzheimer's.
The medication (rivastigmine) is not new. It has been available in capsule and liquid formulations since 1997. It improves mental function (such as memory and thinking) by increasing the amount of a certain natural substance in the brain. It also improves the patient's ability to perform everyday activities.
It is the delivery method that is new. Researchers found that the once-daily skin patch provides smoother and more continuous delivery of the drug over a 24-hour period compared to pills. A study of 1,200 patients from 21 countries who were given the patch daily showed that the patch was as effective as the capsules. The study also showed that the side effects were three times less than those for the pills.
One in four patients reported the side effect of nausea with the pill, while one in 14 reported nausea with the patch. Other side effects include vomiting and diarrhoea.
There was also a study done with the caregivers. It showed that 70 per cent preferred the patch because of ease of use and an easy-to-follow schedule.
Dr Sitoh cited another patient who was a good candidate for the patch. The man, an 83-year-old Singaporean, suffers from Lewy Body disease, which is a cause of dementia very similar to Alzheimer's disease. He had difficulty swallowing. He also suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure. His family were resistant to having him take more medication.
'Earlier this year, I suggested the patch. He's now more alert,' Dr Sitoh said.
The patch was approved for use here by the Health Sciences Authority in April. Dr Sitoh has prescribed the patch to five patients. In Singapore, there are about 200 patients using it.
Dr Ang Guan Lee, medical head of Novartis (Singapore), manufacturers of the patch, said: 'The cost of similar drugs used to treat Alzheimer's disease here is between $210 and $280 a month.'
The patch will cost a patient about $250 a month.
Maybe I should get one for my mother? She has been paranoid for years!
---------------------------------
The New Paper
25 July 2008
Skin patch helps reduce woman's affair paranoia
The Exelon Patch improves mental functions such as memory and thinking in Alzheimer's patients
By Ng Wan Ching
THE 80-year-old woman was severely paranoid that her husband was having an affair. So much so that her husband made sure all the caregivers in their household in Jakarta were men.
Paranoia can be a symptom of Alzheimer's disease, which was what she was suffering from. Her condition was progressively getting worse. It was also a challenge to get her to take her medicine - she was paranoid that people were poisoning her, so she refused all oral medication.
A few months ago, the elderly woman came to Singapore to see Dr Sitoh Yih Yiow, consultant geriatrician from Age-Link Specialist Clinic for Older Persons.
He prescribed a medicated patch (Exelon Patch), the only skin patch approved for the treatment of mild to moderately severe Alzheimer's dementia here. Dr Sitoh said: 'This mode of delivery of the medication helps both patient and caregiver by providing an easier way to manage their therapy.'
He told the woman's husband to put a patch on her lower back once a day. The drug on the patch is absorbed into her body through the skin. Two months later, when the doctor assessed her, she had improved a little. She was no longer as agitated and paranoid and was a little more amenable to being treated medically.
The patch that Dr Sitoh prescribed is the world's first skin patch to be used in treating Alzheimer's.
The medication (rivastigmine) is not new. It has been available in capsule and liquid formulations since 1997. It improves mental function (such as memory and thinking) by increasing the amount of a certain natural substance in the brain. It also improves the patient's ability to perform everyday activities.
It is the delivery method that is new. Researchers found that the once-daily skin patch provides smoother and more continuous delivery of the drug over a 24-hour period compared to pills. A study of 1,200 patients from 21 countries who were given the patch daily showed that the patch was as effective as the capsules. The study also showed that the side effects were three times less than those for the pills.
One in four patients reported the side effect of nausea with the pill, while one in 14 reported nausea with the patch. Other side effects include vomiting and diarrhoea.
There was also a study done with the caregivers. It showed that 70 per cent preferred the patch because of ease of use and an easy-to-follow schedule.
Dr Sitoh cited another patient who was a good candidate for the patch. The man, an 83-year-old Singaporean, suffers from Lewy Body disease, which is a cause of dementia very similar to Alzheimer's disease. He had difficulty swallowing. He also suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure. His family were resistant to having him take more medication.
'Earlier this year, I suggested the patch. He's now more alert,' Dr Sitoh said.
The patch was approved for use here by the Health Sciences Authority in April. Dr Sitoh has prescribed the patch to five patients. In Singapore, there are about 200 patients using it.
Dr Ang Guan Lee, medical head of Novartis (Singapore), manufacturers of the patch, said: 'The cost of similar drugs used to treat Alzheimer's disease here is between $210 and $280 a month.'
The patch will cost a patient about $250 a month.
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