OBJECTIVE Second-generation antipsychotics make up one of the fastest growing segments of the rapidly growing pharmaceutical sector. Given limited health care resources, assessment of the value for the cost of second-generation antipsychotics relative to first-generation antipsychotics is critical for resource-allocation decisions. METHOD With a MEDLINE search, the authors identified eight st...

OBJECTIVE To compare the incidence and persistence of tardive dyskinesia between patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (ICD-10 and/or DSM-IV) who were treated with second-generation antipsychotics and first-generation antipsychotics in routine clinical practice. METHOD The European Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes (SOHO) study is a 3-year, prospective, observational study. Each countr...

BACKGROUND The increased prevalence of diabetes in schizophrenia is partly attributed to antipsychotic treatment, in particular second-generation antipsychotics, but the evidence has not been systematically reviewed. AIMS Systematic review and meta-analysis comparing diabetes risk for different antipsychotics in people with schizophrenia. METHOD We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Intern...

At present, there are more small, open-label trials than large, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of nonpsychotic psychiatric illnesses. Existing evidence indicates both the safety and the efficacy of relatively low doses of the dopaminergic/serotonergic atypical antipsychotics as adjunctive, or augmentation, therapy for patients with nonpsycho...

OBJECTIVE Novel antipsychotics are increasingly used in the treatment of bipolar and schizoaffective mania. This paper presents an overview of the controlled studies in this field. METHOD Using cross-references, a computerized search was performed on MEDLINE and EMBASE psychiatry covering the period 1990-2002. RESULTS Olanzapine and risperidone, added to mood stabilizers, and olanzapine as ...

BACKGROUND Studies using computer databases suggest that atypical antipsychotic agents are more likely to be associated with diabetes than are conventional drugs. AIMS To discover the extent of testing for diabetes mellitus in hospital in-patients prescribed antipsychotics. METHOD Prescription charts were screened to identify patients prescribed antipsychotics. Case notes were then searched...

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE According to some cohort studies, the prevalence of refractory schizophrenia (RS) is 20-40%. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of aripiprazole, paliperidone, quetiapine and risperidone for treating RS. METHODS This was a critical appraisal of Cochrane reviews published in the Cochrane Library, supplemented with reference to more recent randomized contr...

BACKGROUND Metabolic abnormalities are common in patients maintained on antipsychotics. These abnormalities increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and mortality in this population. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in subjects maintained on antipsychotics relative to controls in Qatar, and to assess the factors contributing to the development o...

Objective Human serum paraoxonase (PON1) prevents lipids from peroxidation and functions as an antioxidant mechanism. Malonyldialdehyde (MDA) is the final product of lipid peroxidation and can be used as an indicator of oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to investigate PON1, MDA, and arylesterase (ARY) levels in schizophrenic patients who are taking typical, atypical, or combined (typi...