Application status of memantine in patients with dementia in the Chongqing area of Southwest China

PurposeMemantine has been proven to be effective in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease (AD) and has been available in China since 2006. However, antidementia therapy is not widely used in patients with AD in our region. Therefore, we surveyed the situation of memantine utilization in our hospital.MethodsData on dementia patients who received memantine were obtained from the database of The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between January 2011 and September 2012. Data were collected by face-to-face interview and/or telephone interview by direct questions on memantine dosage, efficacy, adverse events (AEs), Clinical Global Impression Change (CGI-C) score, and the reasons for drug withdrawal, and the results were summarized.ResultsA total of 118 patients were selected, of which 88 patients completed this study. Memantine was prescribed for patients with dementia and the status of its application is as follows: 32 patients were treated with the drug for <1 month; 15 patients were treated between 1 month and 6 months; 41 patients were treated for >6 months. The reasons for memantine withdrawal included the lack of knowledge about dementia care, economic problems, lack of satisfaction with efficacy, and obvious side effects. The improvement of the clinical condition was found in patients treated with memantine for >6 months compared with the patients treated with memantine for <1 month (CGI-C score, 3.80 vs. 4.72, p < 0.05). Of the 88 patients, four (4.54%) had AEs.ConclusionPrescription of memantine is reasonable in our region. However, medication compliance is not optimal. Thus, public should be educated about dementia and about the available medications.