Utilization of Long-Acting Antipsychotic Medication in Patient Care

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (S14) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Kane

AbstractSchizophrenia is a complex disorder characterized by a broad spectrum of psychopathology. Aggressive efforts to bring the patient into remission should begin immediately after the first episode. Consequences of non-remission include poor prognosis, psychiatric and general medical complications, treatment resistance, and death from medical comorbidities and suicide. Prevention of relapse following remission is critical to the well-being and optimal functioning of patients with schizophrenia.The key to optimizing patients' outcomes is to ensure a patient's long-term continuation on medication. As treatment discontinuation can greatly impact the progression of the illness and the patient's ultimate outcome, selecting a treatment with maximum treatment effectiveness is optimal. Nonadherence to treatment is extremely prevalent among patients with schizophrenia, due to such factors as impaired cognition, lack of insight, and side effects associated with antipsychotic treatment.Atypical antipsychotics have shown some advantages over conventional antipsychotics in terms of reducing positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, preventing relapse, and incidence of tardive dyskinesia. Injectables and long-acting formulations of antipsychotics offer additional benefits in terms of ensuring treatment adherence.

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 1981-1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Demjaha ◽  
J. M. Lappin ◽  
D. Stahl ◽  
M. X. Patel ◽  
J. H. MacCabe ◽  
...  

BackgroundWe examined longitudinally the course and predictors of treatment resistance in a large cohort of first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients from initiation of antipsychotic treatment. We hypothesized that antipsychotic treatment resistance is: (a) present at illness onset; and (b) differentially associated with clinical and demographic factors.MethodThe study sample comprised 323 FEP patients who were studied at first contact and at 10-year follow-up. We collated clinical information on severity of symptoms, antipsychotic medication and treatment adherence during the follow-up period to determine the presence, course and predictors of treatment resistance.ResultsFrom the 23% of the patients, who were treatment resistant, 84% were treatment resistant from illness onset. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that diagnosis of schizophrenia, negative symptoms, younger age at onset, and longer duration of untreated psychosis predicted treatment resistance from illness onset.ConclusionsThe striking majority of treatment-resistant patients do not respond to first-line antipsychotic treatment even at time of FEP. Clinicians must be alert to this subgroup of patients and consider clozapine treatment as early as possible during the first presentation of psychosis.


Author(s):  
S. Fayyaz ◽  
N. Nkire ◽  
B. Nwosu ◽  
N. Amjad ◽  
A. Kinsella ◽  
...  

Objectives: As Ireland confronts the many challenges of broadening the introduction of early intervention services (EIS) for first episode psychosis (FEP) as national policy, this article describes Carepath for Overcoming Psychosis Early (COPE), the EIS of Cavan–Monaghan Mental Health Service, and presents prospective research findings during its first 5 years of operation. Methods: COPE was launched as a rural EIS with an embedded research protocol in early 2012, following an education programme for general practitioners (GPs). Here, operational activities are documented and research findings presented through to late 2016. Results: During this period, 115 instances of FEP were incepted into COPE, 70.4% via their GP and 29.6% via the Emergency Department. The annual rate of inception was 24.8/100,000 of population aged > 15 years and was 2.1-fold more common among men than women. Mean duration of untreated psychosis was 5.7 months and median time from first psychotic presentation to initiation of antipsychotic treatment was zero days. Assessments of psychopathology, neuropsychology, neurology, premorbid functioning, quality of life, insight, and functionality compared across 10 DSM-IV psychotic diagnoses made at six months following presentation indicated minimal differences between them, other than more prominent negative symptoms in schizophrenia and more prominent mania in bipolar disorder. Conclusions: COPE illustrates the actuality of introducing and the challenges of operating a rural EIS for FEP. Prospective follow-up studies of the 5-year COPE cohort should inform on the effectiveness of this EIS model in relation to long-term outcome in psychotic illness across what appear to be arbitrary diagnostic boundaries at FEP.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. s249-s250
Author(s):  
A.L. Gonzalez Galdamez ◽  
M.D. Piqueras Acevedo ◽  
M.R. Raposo Hernández ◽  
I. Martínez Pérez ◽  
P. Manzur Rojas ◽  
...  

The aim is to describe the experience of treatment with Paliperidone Palmitate long acting injection (PP) in patients with psychotic active clinic, whether diagnoses with schizophrenia or in patients with the first episode psychosis, as well as to reflect the improvement in the control of the symptoms that the patients can improve increasing the dose.MethodsWe have done a descriptive study of 34 patients hospitalized in psychiatry between January and July 2015 for psychotic active clinic who started treatment with PP or the previous dose was increased.Results91.2% of patients admitted for acute exacerbation of their usual pathology and 8.8% for a first episode psychosis. In the CGI scale, all the patients admitted scored as severe or markedly ill; going mostly mildly ill at discharge. For 55.9% of patients, the treatment was changed to PP, 29.4% of the dose was increased PP and 14.7% antipsychotic treatment was started with PP. Among patients change treatment, the main reason was non-adherence (47.4%). 70.6% of our patients were discharged with PP as only antipsychotic and 29.4% which was discharged with another antipsychotic, the most frequent association was of PP with Quetiapine (80%).ConclusionsPP is a highly effective medicament in the treatment of the schizophrenia that improves the adherence to the treatment, so in our experience and we consider it a medicament to be considered in the early stages of the disease. According to our experience and there are patients who can benefit from better control of symptoms adjusting the dose individually.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S276-S276
Author(s):  
Bernardo Haguiara ◽  
Gabriela Koga Tonsig ◽  
Simão Kagan ◽  
Daniel Cavalcante ◽  
Cristiano Noto ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Negative symptoms are associated with a range of poor clinical and real-life functioning outcomes in people with schizophrenia. The division of negative symptoms into two separate factors, named “expressive deficits” and “social amotivation” could enable more accurate analysis and the development of new therapeutic tools. We aim to investigate whether the different symptoms that make up the negative dimension at baseline differently predict treatment response in first episode psychosis (FEP) antipsychotic naïve patients. Methods Patients with FEP (n=80), without previous use of antipsychotics, were recruited at an emergency service in São Paulo, Brazil, between 2014 and 2019. Individuals were assessed at admission and after 10 weeks of follow-up. Patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and schizophreniform disorder were included. The diagnosis was confirmed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders (SCID-I). Patients were evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) at the baseline and after 10 weeks of treatment. The “expressive deficits” factor was defined as the sum of the six following items of the PANSS: N1 (blunted affect), N3 (poor rapport), N6 (lack of spontaneity and flow of conversation), G5 (mannerisms and posturing), G7 (motor retardation), G13 (disturbance of volition). The “social amotivation” factor was defined as the sum of N2 (emotional withdrawal), N4 (passive/apathetic social withdrawal) and G16 (active social avoidance). To evaluate treatment response, we used the difference between the PANSS score at baseline and after ten weeks of follow-up (delta-PANSS). We performed three linear regressions, one using the “expressive deficits” factor, one using the “social amotivation” factor and another using the total negative symptom score at baseline. Results The mean age was 26.01 years old (SD ± 7.2), and the majority was male (58.75%). “Expressive deficits” (p=0.005, R-squared=0.084, F-test=8.28, β=8.24, df=78), “social amotivation” (p=0.009, R-squared=0,072, F-test=7.14, β=5.59, df=78); and negative symptoms (p=0.002, R-squared=0.105, F-test=10.23, β=9.08, df=78) at baseline behaved similarly in relation to delta-PANSS. All measures of negative symptoms are highly correlated to PANSS total at both time points. Discussion The results were different from our initial hypothesis of worse outcome for patients with higher expressive negative symptoms. We found that negative symptoms overall and both subdomains are highly correlated to PANSS total in acute phase in early stages, what can explain the association to better outcomes with antipsychotic treatment. Longer follow-up can help us to investigate whether differences between the subdomains of negative symptoms can be observed in more stable patients.


2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
D. Naber

Within the last decade, success criteria of antipsychotic treatment became more ambitious. The most important change is the long overdue consideration of the patient"s perspective. Among other scales, a self-report instrument has been constructed to evaluate “subjective well-being under neuroleptics” (SWN). Studies indicate:a.schizophrenic patients, if no longer acutely psychotic or suffering from severe cognitive deficits, are able to reliably assess their SWN,b.high SWN is correlated with high compliance,c.atypical antipsychotics increase SWN,d.individual improvements of SWN and of PANSS are not strongly related (r=-.30 - -.40), and e) dopamine D2 receptor blockade is highly correlated to reduced SWN (r = .66 - .76).Several open trials reveal the relevance of early improvement of subjective well-being: In a 12-week trial with 727 patients, 95% of those with early subjective response (within 4 weeks) showed later subjective and/or psychopathological improvement, but only 9% without early subjective response showed later improvement. In another 3-year trial of 2690 patients, again psychopathological response as well as symptomatic and functional remission were mostly related to early (within first 3 months) subjective improvement. Finally, in a first-episode study of 110 patients with a follow-up of 5 years, within the first 6 weeks of antipsychotic treatment only improvement of SWN was related to enduring symptomatic remission (p=.004) while early reduction of PANSS did not predict long-term course. These data indicate the usefulness of self-rating in schizophrenia, insufficient subjective improvement needs to be identified early.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s822-s822
Author(s):  
I. Martínez Molina ◽  
N. Gómez-Coronado Suárez de Venegas ◽  
P. Blanco Ramón

IntroductionAripiprazole depot is an atypical antipshycotic used to treat positive and negative symptoms of psychosis or acute mania.AimDescribe the reason why psychiatrists switch the current antipsychotic treatment on to aripiprazol depot, its tolerability and the reasons to stop aripiprazol depot treatment.MethodsDescriptive analysis based on a sample of 37 patients, aged 18–65 years, treated during one year with antipsychotics at two community mental health units.ResultsSwitching on to aripiprazole depot principal reasons: promote adherence (25%), persistence of symptoms (25%) and high levels of prolactin or sexual dysfunction (16.66%):– side effects of aripiprazole depot: insomnia (11.11%), inquietude (8.33%), sexual dysfunction (2.77%) and hypertensive crisis during administration (2.77%);– 83.33% of the patients are still taking it after one year. The most common reasons to stop or change it were the presence of secondaries (11.11%) and clinical exacerbation (5.55%).ConclusionsAripiprazole depot is well tolerated (even better than other antipsychotics). Common side effects are not severe and appear in a small percent of patients.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S553-S553
Author(s):  
M. Zelman

With the increasing number of atypical antipsychotics in depot form, there emerges question about plus and cons of their use in schizophrenia patients. We focused on the opinion of Slovak psychiatrists about use of this treatment in some specific situations of schizophrenia treatment. Research was realized via questionnaire on psychiatrists (n = 47) from ambulant and hospital care, during one conference in June 2015. First part of the questionnaire was focused on the preference of oral or depot form of antipsychotic treatment. Depot form would be indicated by psychiatrists (in more than 89%) when low compliance, anosognosia or frequent episodes. On the contrary, oral antipsychotic treatment is preferred in young patients or employed patients. The type of symptoms (e.g. positive, negative) has relatively small impact on the preference of treatment, where the preferences of each type were the lowest (fewer than 36%). According to the opinion of psychiatrists, depot antipsychotic treatment is not suitable in first episode of disorder (according to 81% of respondents), otherwise in second or third episode it would not be chosen by 6% of asked psychiatrists.From the aspects of the choice between atypical or typical depot, atypical antipsychotics in depot form were favored when presence of adverse reactions (80%), occurrence of negative symptoms (65%) and short duration of disorder (58%). Typical depot was preferred by psychiatrists in patients with chronic states.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Chiliza ◽  
L. Asmal ◽  
P. Oosthuizen ◽  
E. van Niekerk ◽  
R. Erasmus ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectives:To assess changes in body mass and metabolic profiles in patients with first-episode schizophrenia receiving standardised, assured treatment and to identify predictors and moderators of the effects.Methods:We investigated the changes in body mass, fasting blood glucose and lipids in 107 largely antipsychotic naïve, first-episode schizophrenia patients who were treated according to a standard algorithm with long-acting injectable flupenthixol decanoate over 12 months.Results:Eighty-three (78%) participants completed the 12 months of treatment, and 104 (97%) received 100% of the prescribed injections during their participation. There were significant increases in BMI (P < .0001), waist circumference (P = 0.0006) and triglycerides (P = 0.03) and decrease in HDL (P = 0.005), while systolic (P = 0.7) and diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.8), LDL (P = 0.1), cholesterol (P = 0.3), and glucose (P = 0.9) values did not change over time. The triglyceride: HDL ratio increased by 91%. Change in BMI was only correlated with change in triglycerides (P = .008). The only significant predictor of BMI increase was non-substance abuse (P = .002).Conclusions:The risks of weight gain and metabolic syndrome associated with antipsychotic treatment in first-episode schizophrenia are not restricted to second generation antipsychotics. This is a global problem, and developing communities may be particularly susceptible.


2001 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 287-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Mortimer

Conventional antipsychotics, historically the mainstay of schizophrenia treatment, were ineffective in many patients, at least 30% fitting treatment-resistance criteria (Kane & Lieberman, 1987). All had the same mechanism of action: none was any more effective in the individual than any other. Therapeutic nihilism accepted poorly controlled positive symptoms and disabling negative symptoms: nearly all patients suffered side-effects (Barnes & Edwards, 1993), particularly extrapyramidal side-effects (EPS) and hyperprolactinaemia. Conventional antipsychotics raise prolactin to a range associated with sexual dysfunction or even macroprolactinoma: effects in men include erectile dysfunction and hypospermatogenesis; in women, galactorrhoea, oligo- or amenorrhoea, hirsutism and increased risk of osteoporosis. In both men and women there is loss of libido, and a link between hyperprolactinaemia and weight gain.


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