Ketogenic Diet as Protection for Deprescribing Antipsychotics

People with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder are almost always treated with continued use of antipsychotics. Tapering of antipsychotics is very often associated with a recurrence of symptoms within a year. This applies particularly to the final steps of reduction from very small doses. Ketosis seems to offer protection against psychotic relapses in these final steps. I report a case series that supports this thesis. Two effects of antipsychotics that disappear after discontinuation of the medication and can be replaced by ketosis could possibly be responsible for this: effects on the mesolimbic system against the background of insufficient GABAergic inhibition in the prefrontal cortex and mesolimbic system; effects on the microglia against the background of increased unspecific neuroinflammation.