Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (Apr 2022)

Effectiveness and Quality of Life with Paliperidone Palmitate 3-Monthly in Comparison with Other Long-Acting Drugs

  • Di Lorenzo R,
  • Iorio A,
  • Pinelli M,
  • Magarini F,
  • Marchi M,
  • Sacchetti A,
  • Calogero C,
  • Galeazzi GM,
  • Ferri P,
  • Rovesti S,
  • Minarini A

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 18
pp. 829 – 846

Abstract

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Rosaria Di Lorenzo,1 Anita Iorio,2 Margherita Pinelli,3 Federica Magarini,3 Mattia Marchi,3 Andrea Sacchetti,3 Chiara Calogero,4 Gian Maria Galeazzi,5 Paola Ferri,5 Sergio Rovesti,5 Alessandro Minarini6 1Service of Psychiatric Diagnosis and Care, Department of Mental Health and Pathological Addictions, AUSL-Modena, Modena, Italy; 2Psychiatric Rehabilitation Technique Programme, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy; 3School of Psychiatry, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; 4Community Mental Health Center, Vignola (MO), Department of Mental Health and Pathological Addictions, AUSL-Modena, Modena, Italy; 5Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; 6Community Mental Health Center, Vignola (MO), Department of Mental Health and Pathological Addictions, AUSL-Modena, Modena, MO, ItalyCorrespondence: Rosaria Di Lorenzo, Department of Mental Health and Pathological Addictions, AUSL-Modena, Service of Psychiatric Diagnosis and Care, via P. Giardini n. 1355, Baggiovara (MO), 41126, Italy, Email [email protected]: Antipsychotic long-acting injections (AP-LAIs) are indicated for patients affected by schizophrenia especially those with poor treatment adherence.Patients and Methods: To compare paliperidone palmitate 3-monthly (PP3M), paliperidone palmitate one-monthly (PP1M) and haloperidol decanoate (HAL-D) treatment, we enrolled 90 patients with schizophrenia treated in Mental Health Center with one of the three AP-LAIs for at least six months and followed them for another 6 months. At 6 and 12 months of treatment we administered Clinical Global Impression-Severity, Global Assessment of Functioning and World Health Organization Quality of Life-26 items (WHOQOL-BREF). At 1-year treatment, we evaluated relapses (psychiatric hospitalizations and urgent consultations), side effects and drop-outs.Results: We did not highlight any statistically significant difference among the three treatments in relapses and scale scores. Weight increase was significantly higher in PP1M and PP3M groups. Twelve patients (13.3%) discontinued AP-LAI. At 1-year AP-LAI treatment, 69% of patients rated quality of life as “good” or “very good” and 71% declared themselves to be “satisfied” or “very satisfied”.Conclusion: HAL-D, PP1M and PP3M 1-year treatments were similarly effective in preventing relapses and improving quality of life and health satisfaction. All discontinuations in the new 3-monthly antipsychotic treatment were caused by patient refusal to continue it.Keywords: antipsychotic long-acting injections, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, relapses, quality of life, health satisfaction

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