CONCLUSIONS This review provides some support to the notion that patients experiencing antipsychotic side-effects are at risk of developing more negative attitudes toward medication .
BACKGROUND Antipsychotics are associated with a wide range of side-effects .
Many patients experience antipsychotics as unpleasant and something they would rather avoid , leading some of them to discontinue taking their medication .
The importance of evaluating the patients ' perspective , especially their attitudes toward medication in the presence of side-effects , has long been emphasized .
However , no definite conclusion has been made to date on the relationship between antipsychotic side-effects and attitudes toward medication .
OBJECTIVES The objective of this systematic review was to determine the best available evidence regarding the impact of antipsychotic side-effects on attitudes toward medication in patients with schizophrenia and related disorders , which include schizoaffective and schizophreniform disorders .
SEARCH STRATEGY The search aim ed to find published studies using a range of data bases .
Safety, effectiveness, and quality of life of olanzapine in first-episode schizophrenia: a naturalistic study
OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the effectiveness , safety , and quality of life ( Qol ) offered by olanzapine in first-episode schizophrenia . METHOD One hundred and eighty-two patients with first-episode schizophrenia ( ICD-10 ) drawn from a larger , naturalistic , study were evaluated after 6 months of treatment with olanzapine , risperidone , or conventional antipsychotics ( CA ) . Clinical status was assessed using the Clinical Global Impression-Severity ( CGI-S ) and Global Assessment of Function ( GAF ) . AWAD and EuroQol scales were used to evaluate patients ' attitude towards medication and Qol , respectively . RESULTS Subjects treated with olanzapine , risperidone , and CA showed similar improvements on CGI-S and GAF . Treatment-emergent , extrapyramidal symptoms were significantly lower in olanzapine-treated patients ( 17.8 % ) than in the risperidone ( 46.4 % ) and CA ( 62.2 % ) groups . Compared to CA , olanzapine and risperidone showed significantly greater improvement on the visual analog scale of EuroQol .  Olanzapine-treated patients also showed significantly improved AWAD scores . CONCLUSIONS In first-episode schizophrenia , atypical antipsychotics were effective , and improved Qol .  Olanzapine had a lower incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms and better subjective acceptance of medication
CONCLUSIONS This review provides some support to the notion that patients experiencing antipsychotic side-effects are at risk of developing more negative attitudes toward medication .
BACKGROUND Antipsychotics are associated with a wide range of side-effects .
Many patients experience antipsychotics as unpleasant and something they would rather avoid , leading some of them to discontinue taking their medication .
The importance of evaluating the patients ' perspective , especially their attitudes toward medication in the presence of side-effects , has long been emphasized .
However , no definite conclusion has been made to date on the relationship between antipsychotic side-effects and attitudes toward medication .
OBJECTIVES The objective of this systematic review was to determine the best available evidence regarding the impact of antipsychotic side-effects on attitudes toward medication in patients with schizophrenia and related disorders , which include schizoaffective and schizophreniform disorders .
SEARCH STRATEGY The search aim ed to find published studies using a range of data bases .