The influence of concomitant neuroleptic medication on safety, tolerability and clinical effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy

The influence of anaesthetic medication on safety, tolerability and clinical effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy

“…EMG conduction was placed in 5Á10 cm distances over the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle. The mean seizure duration was 31.3915.7 s (EEG) and 18.3911.2 s (EMG), which is a little bit shorter than in our previous investigations (Baghai et al 2006;Nothdurfter et al 2006), and this may be due to the fact that only treatments done without any concomitant psychotropic medication were analyzed.…”

“…In general bilateral ECT is considered to be more effective than unilateral ECT and high-dosage ECT has been suggested to be more effective than low-dosage ECT (ECT Review Group 2003). Furthermore, several investigations suggested that concomitant psychopharmacological treatment administered during the course of ECT may alter the efficacy and safety of ECT (Baghai et al 2006;Nothdurfter et al 2006). In a first retrospective investigation we found that concomitant administration of mirtazapine and atypical antipsychotics enhanced the therapeutic effectiveness of ECT.…”

Electroconvulsive Therapy and Clozapine in Adolescents With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

“…45 Combining ECT with clozapine was first proposed in 1990. 51 Moreover, the combination of clozapine and ECT has been reported to be superior to either treatment alone. 47,48 Two studies have reviewed this combination in adults, the first one examining resistant cases and the second one focused on patients with SSDs.…”

Safety of the Electroconvulsive Therapy-Ziprasidone Combination

“…22 Based on data from a sample of 77 patients who underwent ECT while receiving antipsychotics, Gazdag et al 23 reported that quetiapine reduces seizure activity, whereas olanzapine, clozapine, and zuclopenthixol possess epileptogenic properties. 4 No serious adverse effects were reported in a 20-year-old man with chronic and refractory catatonic stupor after ECT (17 courses)-olanzapine (15 mg/d) combination. 5 A retrospective study of 5482 ECT treatments in 455 patients revealed that the adverse effects of ECT were not influenced significantly by the concomitant use of antipsychotics (high-, medium-, and lowpotency first-generation antipsychotics and SGA).…”