Amisulpride vs. risperidone in the treatment of acute exacerbations of schizophrenia. Amisulpride study group.

Abstract

Amisulpride, a substituted benzamide with high selectivity for dopamine D3 and D2 receptors, was compared with the antipsychotic risperidone in patients with acute exacerbations of schizophrenia. The study was double-blind and involved 228 patients allocated, after a 3-6-day wash-out period, to amisulpride 800 mg (n = 115) or risperidone 8 mg (n = 113) for 8 weeks. Both treatments produced a marked improvement in schizophrenic symptomatology. Decreases in mean BPRS total score were 17.7 +/- 14.9 for amisulpride and 15.2 +/- 13.9 for risperidone, and all of the individual factors on the BPRS showed a numerically greater improvement in the amisulpride than in the risperidone patients. Both treatments were equally effective against positive symptoms on the PANSS positive syndrome subscale; however, there was a trend in favor of greater improvement in negative symptoms assessed on the PANSS negative subscale in patients receiving amisulpride with a decrease of 6.9 +/- 7.5 vs. 5.3 +/- 6.6 for risperidone (P = 0.09). Both drugs demonstrated good safety profiles, and scores on neurological scales (SAS, AIMS, and BAS) did not increase during treatment. A comparable proportion of patients received antiparkinsonian medication, 30 and 23% in the amisulpride and risperidone groups, respectively (P = 0.21). Patients receiving risperidone experienced an increase in body weight, which was significantly greater than for amisulpride (P = 0.026).

• Authors: J Peuskens, P Bech, H J Möller, R Bale, O Fleurot, W Rein
• Journal: Psychiatry research (Psychiatry Res) Vol. 88 Issue 2 Pg. 107-17 (Nov 08 1999) ISSN: 0165-1781 [Print] Ireland
• PMID: 10622347 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Comparative Study, Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Randomized Controlled Trial)

Chemical References

• Antipsychotic Agents
• Sulpiride
• Amisulpride
• Risperidone

Topics

• Acute Disease
• Adult
• Amisulpride
• Antipsychotic Agents (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Body Weight
• Double-Blind Method
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
• Remission Induction
• Risperidone (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Schizophrenia (drug therapy, physiopathology)
• Sulpiride (analogs & derivatives, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Treatment Outcome