Does Stopping Donepezil for Alzheimer Disease Increase Nursing Home Placement?

Only during the first year after discontinuation, according to secondary-outcome data from the DOMINO-AD trial

In the DOMINO-AD randomized trial, community-dwelling patients with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer disease (Mini-Mental State Examination score, 5–13) who continued the daily 10-mg donepezil treatment they'd been taking for at least 6 weeks had better cognitive and functional outcomes at 1 year than did patients who stopped donepezil, added memantine, or substituted memantine for the donepezil (NEJM JW Neurology Apr 2012 and N Engl J Med 2012; 366:893 and 957). Researchers have now analyzed the secondary outcome of nursing-home placement for the four DOMINO-AD randomized groups (295 participants in all). Nursing-home placements were determined using a standardized inventory during the first year, then by caregiver report every 6 months therea…

Reviewing Author

Jennifer Rose V. Molano, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Center for Advancing Translational Science – Cincinnati Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training

Editorial BoardsBrain & Life

Jennifer Rose V. Molano, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Center for Advancing Translational Science – Cincinnati Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training

Editorial BoardsBrain & Life

Does Stopping Donepezil for Alzheimer Disease Increase Nursing Home Placement?

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Reviewing Author