Montgomery Adam, Rogowska Marianna, Dratcu Luiz
Maudsley Hospital, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci. 2023 Feb 28;21(1):202-206. doi: 10.9758/cpn.2023.21.1.202.
Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) poses a significant therapeutic challenge in psychiatric practice. Clozapine is recognized as a treatment of choice in TRS but is not always effective in alleviating patients' symptoms. Additionally, clozapine therapy is associated with multiple side effects and monitoring requirements that often limit its use and negatively affect patients' compliance with the treatment. Although clozapine augmentation options are available, there is currently no alternative monotherapy proven to be effective in TRS. We present a case of a young man with TRS who failed to respond to appropriate trials of risperidone, aripiprazole and also clozapine, and who experienced impairing adverse effects of clozapine that made further clozapine treatment not only futile but also detrimental to his health. He was successfully treated with cariprazine monotherapy, which culminated in the remission of his both positive and negative symptoms of psychosis as well as in the marked improvement in social functioning. Cariprazine, a newer atypical antipsychotic endowed with a D3-preferring mode of action, may offer a better tolerated and more acceptable treatment option for patients with difficult-to-treat psychotic symptoms.
难治性精神分裂症(TRS)在精神科临床实践中构成了重大的治疗挑战。氯氮平被公认为是TRS的首选治疗药物,但并不总是能有效缓解患者症状。此外,氯氮平治疗伴有多种副作用以及监测要求,这常常限制了其使用,并对患者的治疗依从性产生负面影响。尽管有氯氮平增效方案可供选择,但目前尚无经证实对TRS有效的替代单药治疗方法。我们报告一例患有TRS的年轻男性病例,他对利培酮、阿立哌唑以及氯氮平的适当试验均无反应,并且经历了氯氮平的不良影响,这使得进一步使用氯氮平治疗不仅徒劳无功,而且对他的健康有害。他接受卡利拉嗪单药治疗取得成功,最终实现了精神病性症状的阳性和阴性症状缓解以及社会功能的显著改善。卡利拉嗪是一种新型非典型抗精神病药物,具有优先作用于D3的作用模式,对于有难治性精神病性症状的患者而言,可能提供一种耐受性更好且更易接受的治疗选择。