Objective: It has been generally agreed that all the patients suffering from schizophrenic symptoms should be treated with antipsychotic drugs. And drug compliance has always been important for the clinical effects, prevention of recurrence and patients’ quality of life. Risepridone Quicklet®, a rapidly disintegrating oral formulation of risperidone, is introduced to increase the compliance most recently. Thus, we had expected that this formulation would be useful and helpful for the patients who might mistrust themselves in drug compliance and therefore tested for the clinical effects, safety, and satisfaction of patients and care givers.
Methods:25 patients (15 male and 10 female) who had been taking risperidone were included and applied same dosage of risperidone quicklet without wash-out period. Duration of medication with risperidone quicklet was 4 weeks. BPRS, CGI, DAI and scale to the attitude of medication in care givers were applied at baseline, 1 week and 4 weeks after administration of risperidone quicklet.
Results:
1) Mean age of subjects was 40.2±10.36 years old, mean duration of current admission was 199.8±221.6 days, schizophrenia was 20 (80%) and mean duration of illness was 10.8±8.38 years. Mean dosage of risperidone was 4.08±2.38 mg/day.
2) Clinical improvement rate was 32% (8/25) according to the definition of 20% decrease in BPRS total score.
3) Adverse effects were appeared in 6 of 25 subjects, which were feeling of heaviness, nausea, tremor and amenorrhea. However, it was not thought that those adverse effects resulted from the change to risperidone quicklet.
4) Patients’ satisfaction with the antipsychotic treatment taking currently was not changed but care givers’ attitude to risperidone quicklet was not so good due to handling difficulty and drug combinations.
Conclusion:Risperidone quicklet was clinically effective and safe for the treatment of schizophrenic symptoms and expected to be helpful/useful for the increase of compliance. However, handling difficulty which was broken easily was the most important handicap. (Schizophrenia Clinics 2003;6:125-131) |
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