Evaluation of sleep profile in schizophrenia patients treated with extended-release paliperidone: an open-label prospective study in Southeast Asia

Abstract

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of 6 months of treatment with paliperidone extended-release (ER) tablets on the sleep profile of patients with schizophrenia.MethodsA total of 984 patients meeting the The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria for schizophrenia who switched their antipsychotic to paliperidone ER were recruited from 61 sites in five countries in Southeast Asia. We recorded patient demographics and assessed sleep quality and daytime drowsiness using visual analog scales.ResultsApproximately 70% of patients completed the 6-month study. After the use of paliperidone ER, patients reported significantly better sleep quality (76.44 vs 65.48; p<0.001) and less daytime drowsiness compared with their baseline value (23.18 vs 34.22; p<0.001). Factors predicting sleep profile improvement were completion of the study and higher baseline Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores.ConclusionPaliperidone ER can help schizophrenia patients to improve sleep quality and reduce daytime drowsiness; this was seen especially in the patients who completed the 6-month treatment period and had higher baseline Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores.

Pharmacologic Treatment Options for Insomnia in Patients with Schizophrenia

“…Kongsakon et al . conducted an open-label prospective study evaluating the effect of six months of treatment with flexibly dosed paliperidone ER (3–12 mg daily) on sleep quality and daytime drowsiness in 984 Southeast Asian patients with schizophrenia [ 29 ]. At baseline, the mean PANSS score was 74, indicating a moderately ill population.…”

“…Sleep quality and daytime drowsiness were assessed using visual analog scales scored from 0–100, with higher scores indicating improved sleep quality on the sleep quality scale and more daytime drowsiness on the daytime drowsiness scale. The data found that from baseline to the end of the study, paliperidone ER statistically significantly improved sleep quality (76.44 vs. 65.48, p < 0.001) and decreased daytime drowsiness (23.18 vs. 34.22, p < 0.001) [ 29 ].…”