Possible effects of some antipsychotic drugs on C-reactive protein in a drug-naïve psychotic sample

Antipsychotic effects on C-reactive protein (CRP) have received little attention. This randomized open-label study investigated the possible effects of antipsychotics on CRP levels after 3 and 12 months of treatment in a Spanish drug-naïve sample taking haloperidol (N=36 after 3 months), olanzapine (N=36 after 3 months) or risperidone (N=39 after 3 months). After 3 months and adjusting for differences in baseline CRP levels, baseline smoking and high baseline triglyceride levels, patients on haloperidol treatment had CRP levels that were 92.7% higher than those of patients on risperidone treatment (p=0.009). After 12 months, only smoking was associated with increased CRP levels. Future studies need to verify that different antipsychotics may have differential effects on CRP levels, particularly after 3 months of treatment.