Amisulpride and olanzapine followed by open-label treatment with clozapine in first-episode schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder (OPTiMiSE): a three-phase switching study - The Lancet Psychiatry

Amisulpride and olanzapine followed by open-label treatment with clozapine in first-episode schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder (OPTiMiSE): a three-phase switching study - The Lancet Psychiatry

Switching antipsychotics doesn't improve schizophrenia outcomes, study suggests

Patients with schizophrenia are often switched to a new kind of antipsychotic if they don’t respond to the first type of treatment — but a new analysis suggests that doesn’t help. Here’s the details:

• The study: Researchers ran a randomized trial with 446 patients being treated with amisulpride for schizophrenia. Patients who didn’t respond to treatment after a month were either kept on the same drug or switched to another antipsychotic in the same class. If they still weren’t responding after 10 weeks, they were switched to clozapine, another kind of antipsychotic that’s not usually used so early in care.
• The finding: Patients switched to a new drug after a month weren’t any more likely to see improved outcomes than patients who stayed on the first drug.
• The takeaway: The authors say that suggests it’s not necessary to try another antipsychotic before switching to more aggressive treatment, which could potentially improve outcomes earlier.