LAI versus oral antipsychotic treatment of schizophrenia: A 12-month prospective study on patient's attitude towards treatment and quality of life

Introduction It is still a matter of debate whether LAI antipsychotics are able to significantly improve patient's attitude towards treatment. Objective The aim of this 12-month observational study was to investigate the impact of switching antipsychotic treatment from oral to LAI formulation on patient's attitude towards treatment and quality of life. Methods A total of 41 schizophrenic patients (25 males, mean age 42.10 ± 11.88 years) were recruited. Patients were expected not to need significant changes in concomitant treatments. All patients were under a stabilized therapy with a single oral antipsychotic (either olanzapine or paliperidone) and were switched to the equivalent maintenance regimen with the long-acting formulation of the same antipsychotic (olanzapine pamoate or paliperidone palmitate). Patients were assessed before the switch (T0), and after 6 (T1) and 12 months (T2) of LAI antipsychotic treatment by means of the YMRS, MADRS, PANSS, DAI-10 and SF-36. Results Our data evidenced an overall significant improvement of psychopathology, adherence and quality of life over the 12-month period (T0 vs. T2). In particular, while all of the measures significantly improved in the first semester (T0 vs. T1), only YMRS, positive PANSS and DAI-10 improved both in the first and in the second semester (T1 vs. T2), indicating an additional advantage of a prolonged LAI treatment on these clinical dimensions. Conclusions The switch from oral to long-acting antipsychotic treatment may provide considerable advantages in improving patient's attitude towards (and therefore adherence to) treatment. Part of this improvement could be related with a better efficacy on psychopathology and quality of life.