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Comparative Study
. 2014 Dec;29(8):735-8.
doi: 10.1177/1533317514536598. Epub 2014 May 26.

Which rivastigmine formula is better for heart in elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease: oral or patch?

Ahmet Turan Isik  1 , Pinar Soysal  2 , Adnan Yay  3
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Which rivastigmine formula is better for heart in elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease: oral or patch?

Ahmet Turan Isik et al. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2014 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: Rivastigmine is commonly used for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). All cholinesterase inhibitors, including rivastigmine, may cause cardiac side effects. The aim of this study is to compare the electrocardiographic (ECG) and hypotensive effects of formulations of rivastigmine.

Methods: Eighty-five newly diagnosed patients with AD who were treated with rivastigmine were retrospectively evaluated. The ECG records were reviewed at baseline and at administration of either 12 mg of oral rivastigmine or 10 cm(2) transdermal rivastigmine.

Results: When compared with the baseline, there were no changes in any of the ECG parameters in all of the patients (P > .05). Moreover, when compared with the mean change from baseline for each treatment group, there were no changes, except heart rate (P = .035).

Conclusion: It was demonstrated that rivastigmine formulations were not associated with increased arrhythmogenic or hypotensive effects in elderly patients with AD and was not superior to each other.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; arrhythmia; elderly; hypotension; oral rivastigmine; rivastigmine patch.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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