Mirtazapine augmentation enhances cognitive and reduces negative symptoms in schizophrenia patients treated with risperidone: a randomized controlled trial.

Abstract

This preliminary study aimed to determine if adding mirtazapine to risperidone might improve negative and cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia. In an 8-week, double-blind clinical trial, we randomly assigned 21 stabilized outpatients with schizophrenia undergoing risperidone treatment to adjunctive treatment with either mirtazapine or a placebo. The mirtazapine group exhibited a statistically significant improvement in cognitive function, including vocabulary and immediate memory, and negative symptoms (as measured by negative symptom scales) and showed an adverse effect of 5.83 kg mean weight gain. This study suggests augmenting risperidone with mirtazapine can effectively improve both negative and some cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia.

• Authors: Sung Joon Cho, Keunyoung Yook, Borah Kim, Tai Kiu Choi, Kang Soo Lee, Yong Woo Kim, Ji Eun Lee, Shinyoung Suh, Ki Hwan Yook, Sang-Hyuk Lee
• Journal: Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry (Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry) Vol. 35 Issue 1 Pg. 208-11 (Jan 15 2011) ISSN: 1878-4216 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 21095214 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic
• Antipsychotic Agents
• Mianserin
• Mirtazapine
• Risperidone

Topics

• Adult
• Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic (therapeutic use)
• Antipsychotic Agents (therapeutic use)
• Cognition Disorders (drug therapy, etiology)
• Double-Blind Method
• Drug Synergism
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Mianserin (analogs & derivatives, therapeutic use)
• Middle Aged
• Mirtazapine
• Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
• Retrospective Studies
• Risperidone (therapeutic use)
• Schizophrenia (complications, drug therapy)