A 24-Week Randomized Study of Olanzapine Versus Ziprasidone in the Treatment of Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder in Patients with Prominent Depressive Symptoms

Abstract

For 24 weeks, olanzapine-treated patients had greater and more sustained participation in treatment, during which time significantly greater improvements were observed in depressive symptoms and GAF scores, along with increases in weight and certain metabolic parameters as compared with ziprasidone-treated patients.

An assessor-blinded, randomized comparison of efficacy and tolerability of switching from olanzapine to ziprasidone and the combination of both in schizophrenia spectrum disorders

“…Consistent with prior studies (Breier et al, 2005;Grootens et al, 2011;Kinon et al, 2006;Simpson et al, 2004;Ou et al, 2013), the present study showed the superiority of OLZ over ZIP monotherapy in the control of psychotic episode of SSD. The OLZ-treated group had a greater reduction in total PANSS score and score on positive and negative subscales; whereas the ZIP-treated group had a higher discontinuation rate due to lack of efficacy or exacerbation of symptoms.…”

“…In psychosis, OLZ treatment produces significantly greater symptom improvement, higher response rates and better completion rates compared to ZIP treatment (Breier et al, 2005;Grootens et al, 2011;Kinon et al, 2006;Simpson et al, 2004;Ou et al, 2013). OLZ therapy has also been reported to cause fewer extrapyramidal symptoms than ZIP (Breier et al, 2005).…”

“…OLZ therapy has also been reported to cause fewer extrapyramidal symptoms than ZIP (Breier et al, 2005). However, compared to ZIP, OLZ is associated with an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome, manifesting as weight gain, dyslipidemia, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance, leading to diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disorders (Breier et al, 2005;Grootens et al, 2011;Kinon et al, 2006;Simpson et al, 2004;Ou et al, 2013). This has led to the proposition that combining these agents would improve efficacy and reduce adverse side effects of antipsychotic treatment.…”

Patient perspectives on antipsychotic treatments and their association with clinical outcomes

“…Although this study did not explicitly examine the association between discontinuation and symptom severity within specific symptomatic dimensions, the two do appear to have a strong relationship. 30,[40][41][42] This, however, has the potential to be complicated by other factors, such as dosing frequency 17,43 and patients' levels of insight. 38,[43][44][45] In this research, symptom severity, adherence to treatment, and attitudes toward medication were examined simultaneously.…”

Antipsychotics do not affect platelet serotonin in schizophrenic patients

“…The efficacy of ziprasidone was reported as an add-on treatment in patients with treatment-resistant major depression [31][32][33], psychotic depression [34] and depression in schizoaffective disorder [12]. Ziprasidone was also shown to be effective as a monotherapy in a double-blind study, involving patients with schizoaffective disorder with prominent negative symptoms, although less effective than olanzapine [35].…”