Psychiatric News (6/7) reports, “Patients with schizophrenia who switch from oral antipsychotics to long-acting injectables (LAIs) within the first three years of treatment can reduce their risk of symptom relapse, future rehospitalizations, and mortality,” while “patients who had been taking oral medications for three years or more prior to switching showed no significant improvements outside of improved medication adherence,” investigators concluded in a study that “identified 678 patients who were having a psychotic episode and were switched from oral medication to an LAI during hospitalization; they continued to receive the LAI after discharge.” The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Related Links:
— “Patients With Schizophrenia Switched Early to LAIs Show Markedly Better Long-Term Outcomes, Psychiatric News, June 7, 2022