NIMH - Phase 2 of CATIE
The National Institute of Mental Health has been conducting research on the effectiveness of antipsychotic medication in the treatment of chronic Schizophrenia. Phase 2 findings have been published for review on their website.
In summary, Phase 2 studies compared the medications, called "atypical antipsychotics," with each other in two different groups of participants. In one group, patients who had stopped taking a phase 1 medication because symptoms were not adequately relieved were randomly assigned to get one of four medications: clozapine (Clozaril), olanzapine (Zyprexa) , quetiapine (Seroquel), or risperidone (Risperdal). In that group, clozapine was the most effective. Forty-four percent of the patients who changed to clozapine stayed on it for the rest of the 18-month study, compared with 18 percent of patients who had changed to the other medications. On average, patients stayed on clozapine for 10 months, while patients on any of the other medications stayed on them for only 3 months.
However, not all patients can or want to take clozapine, because it may cause serious side effects in some people, including inflammation of the heart muscle, and agranulocytosis, which is a dangerous drop in levels of white blood cells that are part of the immune system. As a result, patients taking clozapine require close monitoring. Although the patients who took clozapine in this study tolerated it fairly well overall, one person developed agranulocytosis.
These trials offer considerable hope for the 2.4 million adults that suffer from chronic Schizophrenia. For further reading, link to CATIE.
In summary, Phase 2 studies compared the medications, called "atypical antipsychotics," with each other in two different groups of participants. In one group, patients who had stopped taking a phase 1 medication because symptoms were not adequately relieved were randomly assigned to get one of four medications: clozapine (Clozaril), olanzapine (Zyprexa) , quetiapine (Seroquel), or risperidone (Risperdal). In that group, clozapine was the most effective. Forty-four percent of the patients who changed to clozapine stayed on it for the rest of the 18-month study, compared with 18 percent of patients who had changed to the other medications. On average, patients stayed on clozapine for 10 months, while patients on any of the other medications stayed on them for only 3 months.
However, not all patients can or want to take clozapine, because it may cause serious side effects in some people, including inflammation of the heart muscle, and agranulocytosis, which is a dangerous drop in levels of white blood cells that are part of the immune system. As a result, patients taking clozapine require close monitoring. Although the patients who took clozapine in this study tolerated it fairly well overall, one person developed agranulocytosis.
These trials offer considerable hope for the 2.4 million adults that suffer from chronic Schizophrenia. For further reading, link to CATIE.
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