US researchers report that a combination of either olanzapine or risperidone with the mood stabiliser sodium valproate improved responses in patients hospitalised with an acute psychotic episode of schizophrenia. In the study, 249 patients with schizophrenia (aged 18-65) were randomised to one of four drug treatment groups: olanzapine alone, olanzapine plus valproate, risperidone alone, or risperidone plus valproate. Behavioural symptoms were evaluated after 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 21 and 28 days of treatment using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total score. Clinical improvement was defined as a 20% or greater increase from baseline scores. Over half the patients receiving combination treatment showed improvement by day 7. However, this degree of improvement was not reached until day 14 for the groups treated by either antipsychotic drug alone. Because a 20 per cent improvement in symptoms is often considered an indicator that a patient is ready to leave hospital, the team suggest that combination therapy could halve the time patients have to spend in hospital. Both combination and monotherapy were reported to be well tolerated, and adverse side effects and rates of discontinuation therapy were similar among all treatment groups (Neuropsychopharmacology)
Source: Health-news.co.uk/ (link– registration required)
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