Donepezil effects on mood in patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.
Donepezil, 5 mg/d for 6 wk then 10 mg/d for 6 wk, and placebo daily for 12 wk in a double-blind cross-over paradigm, was added to the therapeutic regimen of 13 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders, clinically stable on atypical antipsychotic medications. Patients had varying degrees of depressive symptoms, ranging from no depression to clinically significant depression. There was no worsening or induction of depression in individual patients or the group as a whole. In addition there was a statistically significant antidepressant effect in the group as a whole during the donepezil condition and a clinically significant antidepressant effect in the patients with clinically significant depressive symptoms, although there were not enough depressed patients in the group to conclude that donepezil may have antidepressant effects. Thus, in this study, donepezil did not induce or worsen depressive symptoms in schizophrenic and schizoaffective disorder patients.
Risch
S Craig
SC
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0984, USA. craigr@lppi.ucsf.edu
Horner
Michael D
MD
McGurk
Susan R
SR
Palecko
Simmy
S
Markowitz
John S
JS
Nahas
Ziad
Z
DeVane
C Lindsay
CL
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D000077265:Donepezil; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007189:Indans / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010880:Piperidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology
D007189:Indans; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D010880:Piperidines; D000077265:Donepezil