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 and “High-Dose” Olanzapine in Refractory Early-Onset Schizophrenia: A 12-Week Randomized and Double-Blind Comparison
BACKGROUND The present study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of clozapine versus " high-dose " olanzapine in treatment-refractory adolescents with schizophrenia . METHODS Children , ages 10 - 18 years , who met DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia and who were resistant or intolerant to at least two antipsychotic drugs were r and omized to receive 12 weeks of double-blind flexibly dosed treatment with clozapine ( n = 18 ) or " high-dose " olanzapine ( up to 30 mg/day ) ( n = 21 ) . The primary efficacy measure was response ( improvement ) , defined as a decrease of 30 % or more in total Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale score from baseline and a Clinical Global Impression Scale improvement rating of " 1 " ( very much improved ) or " 2 " ( much improved ) . RESULTS Significantly more clozapine-treated adolescents met response criteria ( 66 % ) compared with olanzapine-treated subjects ( 33 % ) . Clozapine was superior to olanzapine in terms of reduction of the psychosis cluster scores and negative symptoms from baseline to end point . However , both treatments were associated with significant weight-gain and related metabolic abnormalities . CONCLUSIONS This double-blind r and omized comparison of two second-generation antipsychotic drugs for treatment-refractory adolescents with schizophrenia supports clozapine as the agent of choice . The development of interventions to limit weight gain and metabolic side effects are needed to enhance the risk-benefit profile for both study treatments
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 .