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  • Title: Relationships between pharmacotherapy-induced metabolic changes and improved psychopathology in schizophrenia: data from a mirtazapine and first-generation antipsychotics combination trial.
    Author: Terevnikov V, Stenberg JH, Tiihonen J, Chukhin E, Joffe M, Burkin M, Joffe G.
    Journal: Int J Neuropsychopharmacol; 2013 Aug; 16(7):1661-6. PubMed ID: 23217660.
    Abstract:
    Clinical efficacy and metabolic side-effects of antipsychotics seem to correlate with each other. In this study, interrelationship of similar metabolic effects of mirtazapine and its earlier reported desirable effects on psychopathology in first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs)-treated schizophrenia were explored. Symptomatic FGAs-treated patients with schizophrenia received a 6-wk double-blind treatment with add-on mirtazapine (n = 20) or placebo (n = 16), followed by a 6-wk open-label mirtazapine treatment. Mirtazapine (but not placebo) induced an increase in body weight and cholesterol levels. The latter was associated with a clinical improvement in all (sub)scales of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale [PANSS; an increase of cholesterol by 1 mmol/l predicted 7 points reduction on the PANSS total score (r = 0.85, p = 0.001)]. In schizophrenia, mirtazapine-induced weight gain and increase of total cholesterol are associated with the improved efficacy of mirtazapine-FGAs combination--a novel observation with possible clinical and theoretical implications.
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