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Dosing the antipsychotic medication olanzapine
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga 30322, USA.
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
|January 1, 1997
Summary
Olanzapine effectively treats schizophrenia symptoms, showing superiority over haloperidol for negative and depressive symptoms. While generally well-tolerated, potential side effects include weight gain and mild liver enzyme elevations.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic agent.
- It exhibits serotonin and dopamine antagonism.
- Schizophrenia treatment requires effective and well-tolerated medications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of olanzapine in treating acute schizophrenia.
- To compare olanzapine with placebo and haloperidol.
- To assess effects on psychopathology, negative and depressive symptoms, extrapyramidal symptoms, and prolactin levels.
Main Methods:
- Clinical trial comparing olanzapine (5-20 mg/day) to placebo and haloperidol.
- Efficacy measured by Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS0-6) total score.
- Assessment of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) and serum prolactin levels.
Main Results:
- Olanzapine (10 mg/day) demonstrated efficacy in overall psychopathology versus placebo.
- Olanzapine was comparable or superior to haloperidol in the 5-20 mg/day range.
- Superior efficacy for negative and depressive symptoms compared to haloperidol.
- Favorable extrapyramidal symptom profile and less prolactin elevation than haloperidol.
- Dose-related weight gain and asymptomatic transaminase elevations were observed.
Conclusions:
- Olanzapine is an effective treatment for acute schizophrenia.
- It offers advantages over haloperidol in specific symptom domains and tolerability.
- Monitoring for weight gain and liver function is recommended.