Rivastigmine in the treatment of hypersexuality in alzheimer disease

Inappropriate sexual behaviors (ISB) represent uncommon and often misdiagnosed clinical disorders among patients with Alzheimer disease. So far, no randomized clinical trials regarding the treatment of ISB in demented people have been conducted, but available data from case series and isolated case reports suggest the efficacy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), antipsychotics, antiandrogens, and H2-receptor antagonists. Controversial data exist on the therapeutic influence of cholinesterase inhibitors on sexual disorders. In the present article, we describe the case of an Alzheimer disease patient presenting hypersexuality, successfully treated with rivastigmine. Thus, we perform a revision of the existing literature regarding the therapeutical effect of cholinesterase inhibitors in the treatment of ISB. © 2013 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.