fumaric-acid and Psychotic-Disorders

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of administering quetiapine once vs twice daily.. Utilizing a double-blind design, 21 hospitalized adult men or women with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, who had received unchanged doses (for 2 weeks) of either 400 or 600 mg daily of quetiapine administered in 2 doses, were randomly assigned to once- or twice-daily administration for 4 weeks and then crossed over to the opposite dosing regimen for an additional 4 weeks. Standard psychopathology and safety measures were used in the study.. Nearly 70% (15/21) of the subjects met the a priori efficacy responder criteria with no statistical differences in response between those assigned to once- or twice-daily quetiapine administration. Statistical analyses confirmed that most subjects maintained efficacy during the switch to once- or twice-daily administration with quetiapine. A minority (15%) did experience worsening of symptoms or orthostatic hypotension during the crossover. Quetiapine was generally well tolerated at either twice- or once-daily administration.. These pilot data suggest that it is clinically feasible to switch most quetiapine-treated subjects receiving a therapeutic twice-daily dosing schedule to a once-daily regimen. A minority may experience worsening of symptoms or orthostatic hypotension during the switch. This strategy of administering quetiapine entirely at bedtime may promote improved adherence to treatment.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Anticarcinogenic Agents; Antipsychotic Agents; Cross-Over Studies; Dibenzothiazepines; Double-Blind Method; Drug Administration Schedule; Female; Fumarates; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pilot Projects; Psychotic Disorders; Quetiapine Fumarate; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenic Psychology