Assessing the critical issues of atypical antipsychotics in schizophrenic inpatients

Antipsychotics are effective in reducing positive and disorganization symptoms of schizophrenia. Although SGAs initially all were believed to be more efficacious and tolerable than FGAs, several data show that the SGAs are no more effective than FGAs. In clinical practice, frequent switching of antipsychotic medications is widespread for lack of efficacy, adverse side effects, and partial or not-compliance response. This study suggested that most clinically stable inpatients with schizophrenia maintain their remission states after being switched to another atypical antipsychotic; but that at the end (after 20 years) of the observation period of our study, 11.54% of the patients assumed again typical antipsychotics (haloperidol).