At the time of this review , seven AAPs were available in Canada : aripiprazole clozapine olanzapine paliperidone quetiapine risperidone ziprasidone
Schizophrenia is a mental illness that requires lifelong treatment and is associated with symptoms that include hallucinations , delusions , cognitive impairment , disorganized thoughts , social withdrawal , and low motivation .
Antipsychotic medications are effective at relieving the symptoms of schizophrenia , and they form the foundation of treatment .
Clozapine augmented with risperidone in the treatment of schizophrenia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE The authors evaluated the efficacy and safety of augmenting clozapine with risperidone in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia .  METHOD In a r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled 12-week trial , 40 patients unresponsive or partially responsive to clozapine monotherapy  received a steady dose of clozapine combined with either placebo ( N=20 ) or up to 6 mg/day of risperidone ( N=20 ) . Patient psychopathology was assessed at 2-week intervals with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ( BPRS ) and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms ( SANS ) , among other measures . Movement disorders were assessed with the Simpson-Angus Rating Scale . RESULTS From baseline to week 6 and week 12 , mean BPRS total and positive symptom subscale scores were reduced significantly in both groups , but the reductions were significantly greater with clozapine/risperidone treatment . Reductions in SANS scores were also significantly greater with clozapine/risperidone treatment than with clozapine/placebo . The adverse event profile for clozapine/risperidone treatment was similar to that for clozapine/placebo .  Simpson-Angus Rating Scale scores were lower with clozapine/risperidone treatment throughout the trial but increased to approach those of clozapine/placebo treatment at week 12 . Clozapine/risperidone treatment did not induce additional weight gain , agranulocytosis , or seizures compared with clozapine/placebo treatment . CONCLUSIONS In patients with a suboptimal response to clozapine , the addition of risperidone improved overall symptoms and positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia . The combination appears to be safe and well tolerated . Augmentation of clozapine with risperidone may provide additional clinical benefit for patients who are nonresponsive or only partially responsive to clozapine alone
At the time of this review , seven AAPs were available in Canada : aripiprazole clozapine olanzapine paliperidone quetiapine risperidone ziprasidone
Schizophrenia is a mental illness that requires lifelong treatment and is associated with symptoms that include hallucinations , delusions , cognitive impairment , disorganized thoughts , social withdrawal , and low motivation .
Antipsychotic medications are effective at relieving the symptoms of schizophrenia , and they form the foundation of treatment .