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Query: UMLS:C0036341 (schizophrenia)
 60,220 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Neuroleptic treatment of psychotic symptoms or agitated behavior in elderly patients diagnosed with dementia is associated with reduced efficacy and increased rates of neuroleptic-induced parkinsonism in comparison to younger patients with schizophrenia. We report the first study to examine the relationship between an in vivo measure of dopaminergic function, plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA), and ratings of psychosis, agitation, and parkinsonism before and after neuroleptic treatment in dementia patients. Pretreatment pHVA was significantly correlated with parkinsonian rigidity, with a trend observed with agitation and hostility. Though mean pHVA did not change during perphenazine treatment, intraindividual change in pHVA at day 15 was correlated with improvement in hostility, with a similar trend for improvement in agitation. These preliminary findings are consistent with reports associating dopaminergic function with agitated, but not psychotic, symptoms in patients diagnosed with dementia, and with a reduced responsivity of dopaminergic systems to neuroleptic treatment in these patients.
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PMID:Association of plasma homovanillic acid with behavioral symptoms in patients diagnosed with dementia: a preliminary report. 938 53

Six of 13 outpatients with schizophrenia who participated in a ten-week open trial of risperidone had an initial good response to the medication followed by development of intolerable affect, including feelings of agitation and depression and periods of crying and insomnia. Patients who developed this syndrome did not differ from other patients in baseline ratings on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, except that patients who developed the syndrome had a significantly higher mean baseline rating on the BPRS anxiety subscale. The authors suggest that risperidone may increase affect in patients with schizophrenia and that some patients, especially those with anxiety, may have difficulty managing the increase.
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PMID:A syndrome of increased affect in response to risperidone among patients with schizophrenia. 955 Feb 46

Clozapine, an atypical antipsychotic, is mainly approved for the treatment of resistant schizophrenia. However, a substantial body of evidence suggests that it might be useful in other psychiatric indications, such as treatment-resistant depression, Parkinson's disease, and dementia. In this report we present the cases of three patients hospitalized at the psychiatric division of the Sheba Medical Center, diagnosed with major depressive disorder with cognitive impairment, whose presenting symptom was agitation. These patients were nonresponders to various treatment modalities. However, treatment with clozapine brought about a favorable response.
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PMID:Clozapine for the treatment of agitated-depressed patients with cognitive impairment: a report of three cases. 957 2

The pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, adverse effects, drug interactions, dosage and administration, and cost of olanzapine are reviewed. Olanzapine is a serotonin-dopamine-receptor antagonist indicated for use in the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. The affinity of olanzapine for neuroreceptors is similar to that of clozapine. The drug is well absorbed from the GI tract; food has no effect. Olanzapine is more effective than placebo and equal to haloperidol in reducing psychotic symptoms on two rating scales. However, unlike typical dopamine-receptor antagonists used for antipsychotic therapy, olanzapine is more effective in reducing the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The most frequent adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with olanzapine are somnolence, agitation, insomnia, and headache. Constipation and dry mouth occur as dose-dependent ADRs. Unlike clozapine, olanzapine does not cause agranulocytosis. No cases of tardive dyskinesia or neuroleptic malignant syndrome have been reported. Olanzapine has been associated with slight increases in hepatic transaminases. More study is needed to determine whether olanzapine interacts significantly with other drugs. The recommended starting dosage is 5-10 mg orally once daily. Efficacy beyond six weeks has not been evaluated; patients treated for longer than six weeks should be periodically reassessed. Olanzapine costs about 10 times more than typical antipsychotics because a generic version is not available; however, olanzapine costs less than clozapine therapy and may cost less than haloperidol in terms of total health care costs. Olanzapine offers an effective alternative for treating schizophrenia and has a favorable adverse-effect profile.
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PMID:Olanzapine: a serotonin-dopamine-receptor antagonist for antipsychotic therapy. 1047 99

Recent research has demonstrated an associative link between some forms of mental illness and violence. While much of this violence is committed by persons with schizophrenia, the characteristics of violent versus nonviolent schizophrenic patients has received limited attention. Two studies with small sample sizes compared these groups on psychological dimensions in acute care settings, but there appears to be no study of continuing care inpatients. This study compared a statewide sample of violent and nonviolent inpatients with schizophrenia on several domains of social interpersonal behavior. In a between-group analysis, violent patients showed evidence of serious dysfunction in community self-care and community adjustment, whereas the nonviolent were more impaired in the areas of depression, restlessness, and internal confusion. A within-group analysis of patients with interpersonal violence and those with noninterpersonal violence yielded similar findings of serious community dysfunction versus internal confusion. The implications are discussed.
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PMID:Characteristics of violent versus nonviolent patients with schizophrenia. 962 26

The atypical antipsychotic drug clozapine was introduced to clinical practice in 1972. It is a dibenzodiazepine derivative with, among other known receptor site activities, a relatively high D1/D2 receptor affinity ratio. The serious side effects of bone marrow suppression and agranulocytosis delayed the acceptance of clozapine into common clinical practice but scrupulous application of a monitoring protocol led to adequate protection from these side effects. There is now a broad consensus about the benefits of clozapine which supports the use of clozapine as a first-line treatment of schizophrenia. There is good evidence that relapse and rehospitalization drop to 22% of the incidence in preclozapine treatment patients. The majority of responders are identified within 4 months of treatment. Clozapine has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for neuroleptic refractory patients. Forty percent of clozapine-treated patients show significant improvement, with 11% of treated patients showing no residual psychosis. This review also describes the results of clozapine on aggressive and violent assault in a patient population characterized by severe functional deficits, typically chronic schizophrenia with severe impairment, chronic brain syndromes, and developmental handicap. Prior to the introduction of clozapine therapy, in a chronically disrupted milieu that precluded adequate psychosocial programming, seriously assaultive behaviour resulting in peer and staff injury was a common occurrence. Evidence suggests that clozapine is an effective medical treatment for the target symptoms of hostile agitation, threatening, and assaultive violence.
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PMID:The use of clozapine in the treatment of aggressive schizophrenia. 965 29

Risperidone has proven efficacy with reduced likelihood of causing extrapyramidal symptoms in the treatment of schizophrenia. Initial work suggests its utility in the management of aggression and self injury in patients with mental retardation. The use of risperidone in eight adult patients with moderate to profound mental retardation is described. Risperidone in these individuals was associated with significant reduction in aggression and self injurious behavior. Side effects were primarily those of sedation and restlessness. These cases illustrate the possible utility of risperidone in the treatment of aggression and self injury in adult patients with moderate to profound mental retardation.
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PMID:Risperidone for aggression and self-injurious behavior in adults with mental retardation. 965 34

The authors prospectively assessed symptoms induced by the interruption of antidepressants in 16 patients (11 women and 5 men), aged from 33 to 85 years (mean = 52.4 +/- 16.4), treated with antidepressants since at least two weeks. All patients were free of alcohol abuse or dependence disorder and of other dependence to psychoactive substances. None of them presented medical illness. Diagnosis were made by separate evaluations by two authors and confirmed with a semistructered assessment instrument: the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (Lifetime Version). All patients were submitted to a brutal discontinuation of their antidepressant agent. Patients were assessed twice, before the interruption of the antidepressant, and 72 hours later. Effects of antidepressant interruption were assessed by several means. Modification of anxiety and depression were evaluated using the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale. Symptoms of withdrawal were assessed with Cassano and al.'s scale SESSH including an evaluation of anxiety, agitation, irritability, anergy, difficulty on concentrating, depersonalization, sleep and appetite disorders, muscle pains, nausea, tremor, sweating, altered taste, hyperosmia, paresthesias, photophobia, motor incoordination, dizziness, hyperacousia pain, delirium. Fourteen of the 16 patients (87.5%) presented modifications of their somatic or psychic state 3 days after the interruption of the antidepressant treatment. Most frequent symptoms were: increase in anxiety (31%), increase in irritability (25%), sleep disorders (19%), decrease of anergia and fatigue (19%). Mean scores of anxiety and depression were not significantly modified by the withdrawal. Following TCAs interruption (7 patients) most frequent symptoms were sleep disorders; increase in anxiety, nausea. Among patients withdrawn from SSRIs (6 patients), most frequent symptoms were increase in anxiety, increase in irritability, headache. Patients also presented a decrease of nausea, and of anorexia.
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PMID:[Prospective evaluation of antidepressant discontinuation]. 969 14

It is estimated that about one-half of Alzheimer's patients develop psychotic and/or behavioural signs and symptoms which can cause the most distress and difficulties to families and healthcare professionals. The prevalence and the type of problem behaviours varies remarkably with the course of Alzheimer's disease, the severity of cognitive impairment, the neuropathology and biochemical changes. The prevalence varies also in relation to the setting, sample size, rating instruments for assessment, comorbidity, coexistence of different problem behaviours and pharmacological therapies. Neuroleptics are the only documented pharmacological treatment for psychosis, agitation, suspicion, delusions and hallucinations. Neuroleptics have a number of potentially severe adverse effects, that caution against their widespread use in elderly patients. High potency agents such as haloperidol are more likely to cause Parkinsonian symptoms, while low-potency agents such as thioridazine and chlorpromazine are more likely to cause sedation, confusion, delirium, postural hypotension and peripheral anticholinergic effects. The new antipsychotic agents (atypical neuroleptics) such as risperidone, clozapine and olanzapine appear to have efficacy either superior to the traditional neuroleptics or are generally comparable with fewer side-effects. These results however refer to clinical studies in patients with schizophrenia and they have not yet been tested with demented population in well controlled trials.
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PMID:["Judicious" use of neuroleptic drugs in the treatment of behavioral symptoms in the course of Alzheimer disease]. 984 48

When a patient with an acute exacerbation of schizophrenia is admitted into the hospital, the target symptoms include pathologic excitement/agitation and exacerbated psychotic symptoms. The goal of hospitalization becomes attenuation of these symptoms to a level compatible with safe discharge. The mainstay of stabilization is antipsychotic treatment. A risk/benefit analysis of the conventional versus the newer antipsychotics favors the use of the newer agents as first-line drugs. These newer antipsychotic agents represent the first significant advance in the pharmacologic treatment of schizophrenia in the past four decades. They are at least as effective as conventional agents and are clearly superior from a safety perspective. Because of short inpatient stays, the challenge for clinicians is to provide an adequate treatment period without aggressively escalating the dose.
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PMID:Common treatment goals of antipsychotics: acute treatment. 984 46


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