“There is a growing recognition among psychiatrists in the United States that non-adherence to medication is an even greater barrier to care for patients with schizophrenia than was previously understood,” says John Hayes MD of Lilly Research Laboratories, “and that long-acting treatments can play a beneficial role in helping patients maintain a stable treatment regimen.” For schizophrenia treatment, a new drug called Zyprexa Relprevv works similarly to atypical antipsychotic medications like olanzapine, but stays in the body longer so the individual only needs to take a pill every month, rather than every day.
Antipsychotic medications are the first line of treatment for schizophrenia. During the acute phase, higher doses treat the psychotic disorder symptoms. During the latent phase, medication is used to manage and treat psychotic symptoms. In most cases, low to moderate doses of medication are needed daily for the rest of the patient’s life. Naturally, doctors prefer to keep patients on the lowest possible dose to keep symptoms at bay, but if they begin to reappear, a temporary increase in dosage has been effective at preventing relapses. The vast majority of schizophrenics demonstrate substantial improvement when they’re taking antipsychotic drugs, but a small percentage of patients do not respond. For this reason, long-term followup is necessary to ensure a patient’s success.
Anti-psychotic medications have been around since the mid-fifties. The first type of schizophrenia treatment developed was “neuroleptic drugs” like Haldol, Prolixin, Navane, Stelazine, Trilafon and Mellaril, which were effective at treating positive symptoms like hallucinations, delusions and thought disorders, yet these drugs also caused unwanted side effects in the nervous system, causing painful spasms, muscular rigidity, restlessness and tremors. They also did not boost motivation, expressiveness or overall happiness, which are also symptoms of this mental illness. In 1990, “atypical antipsychotic” drugs were introduced, which produced few neurological side effects and effectively targeted the debilitating positive symptoms that characterize the disorder.
There are many factors that affect the success or failure of schizophrenia treatment. For instance, more than half of people with schizophrenia do not realize they have a mental illness. Most schizophrenics abuse drugs and/or alcohol, which may also impede their recovery. Depression goes hand-in-hand with paranoid schizophrenia in general, so many people feel hopeless about getting better. Patients fare best when they are treated early, when they have the support of their family and when they maintain the appropriate level of medication. Attending other therapy sessions is also highly recommended to prevent relapse. Most people can live independently if treatment is sought.
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