title: 5-HT2A receptor antagonists for the treatment of neuroleptic-induced akathisia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: Akathisia is a common and distressing extrapyramidal side-effect, which usually results from the use of antipsychotic medication. Previous reviews and meta-analyses have demonstrated a lack of evidence for the effectiveness of treatment strategies, which are traditionally used against neuroleptic-induced akathisia (NIA), i.e. beta-blockers, anticholinergic agents and benzodiazepines. In the last fifteen years, randomized trials have studied the effect of drugs with antiserotonergic properties on NIA. We conducted a systematic review of randomized control trials and used meta-analytic methods to quantify the overall effect size. PubMed and the Cochrane libraries were searched for eligible trials. Six randomized controlled trials were found, five of which included a placebo control group and qualified for our meta-analysis. The overall effect size in the analysis is RR = 7.10 with 95% CI 3.08-16.40 (p < 0.0001). Our findings suggest that 5-HT(2A) antagonists are effective in the treatment of NIA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty of the Heinrich Heine University, Bergische Landstrasse 2, 40629 Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Zacharias G
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Laoutidis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty of the Heinrich Heine University, Bergische Landstrasse 2, 40629 Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luckhaus
mesh_terms: D017109:Akathisia, Drug-Induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D058830:Serotonin 5-HT2 Receptor Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D058830:Serotonin 5-HT2 Receptor Antagonists