Intermittent Pharmacotherapy in Chronic Schizophrenia
Abstract
In an 18-hospital collaborative study, 375 chronic schizophrenics on stable maintenance doses of anti-psychotic drugs were assigned to one of four groups in which medication was withdrawn two or three days a week on varying schedules, or to one in which daily medication was continued. At the end of 16 weeks, there was no significant difference in relapse rate between the continued-treatment and intermittent-treatment groups. That finding suggests that short-term intermittent drug withdrawal is a feasible treatment policy for hospitalized chronic schizophrenics on maintenance chemotherapy. The benefits of a successful intermittent therapy program include less risk of toxicity for the patient; less work for the staff, allowing more time for other therapeutic activities; and lower drug costs for the hospital.
Access content
To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.- Personal login
- Institutional Login
- Sign in via OpenAthens
- Register for access
-
Please login/register if you wish to pair your device and check access availability.
Not a subscriber?
PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5 library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.
Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).