Objective : Risperidone, one of most widely used atypical antipsychotics, not only ameliorate positive symptoms of acute phase but improve long-term quality of life as well. To achieve sufficient therapeutic effects, it is important to readjust treatm...
Objective : Risperidone, one of most widely used atypical antipsychotics, not only ameliorate positive symptoms of acute phase but improve long-term quality of life as well. To achieve sufficient therapeutic effects, it is important to readjust treatment regimen in case of insufficient response at an appropriate time point. However, few studies have dealt with this issue in clinical settings. Methods : We investigated the past treatment history of 51 schizophrenics treated with risperidone for more than 48 weeks by retrospective chart review. The patients were divided into responders and non-responders by predetermined criteria, and CGI-severity scores at 7 selected time points were assessed. The time pattern of therapeutic responses was analyzed, and appropriate point of time to reliably predict the long-term efficacy was sought. Results : Thirty-one (60.8%) and twenty (39.2%) patients were respectively defined as responders and non-responders by our criteria. There was no difference in the dosage of risperidone between responders and non-responders, at any time point evaluated. We observed that significant differences in the pattern of CGI-severity score between the two groups emerged after the 8th week, and that the treatment response profile during this phase might predict long-term outcome. Conclusion : The results of this study suggest that the 8-week time point may be the most appropriate in assessing the clinical response to risperidone and the decision to continue with or to change the regimen. However, this study is a naturalistic study and the results drawn from this study require further confirmative researches.