Title: Long-Acting Antipsychotic Medications
Volume: 13
Issue: 4
Author(s): Raman Baweja, Karim Sedky and Steven Lippmann
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Injectable antipsychotic medications, depot neuroleptic agents, haloperidol decanoate, fluphenazine decanoate, long-acting risperidone, paliperidone palmitate, long-acting olanzapine, psychotherapy, CATIE, neuroleptic
Abstract: Antipsychotic medicines are the cornerstone pharmacotherapy for patients with psychotic disorders. Early and continuous management of psychoses improves the quality of life, decreases hospitalization and reduces medical costs. However, many psychotic patients are not fully compliant with treatment, and thus they more often experience a relapsing course with a suboptimal clinical outcome. Long-term parenteral antipsychotic agents may improve compliance by offering clear evidence of medication non-compliance and documented drug administration monitoring. Using injection therapy might be especially beneficial to poorly compliant individuals with their first-psychotic episode and those with severe psychopathology or comorbid substance abuse. The availability of five different antipsychotic drug depot medications offers diverse treatment options which can be individualized for each case.
