title: A comparison of the effectiveness of risperidone, haloperidol and flupentixol long-acting injections in patients with schizophrenia--A nationwide study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI), the first licensed, long-acting second-generation antipsychotic (SGA), has not yet been studied in terms of its effectiveness compared with first-generation antipsychotic (FGA) LAIs.
  
  
  METHODS
  The differences in the effectiveness of RLAI and two other FGA LAIs, haloperidol and flupentixol, were assessed by conducting a one-year pre-post study based on the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database. Effectiveness was defined as reduced medical care utilization and relapse prevention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A decreased number of relapses were identified in the haloperidol injection group in the post-LAI period than in the pre-LAI period (Wilcoxon signed rank test, p<0.05). The RLAI group had the largest number of acute admissions and relapses, the longest duration of admission (Wilcoxon signed rank test, p<0.005), and the lowest utilization of anticholinergic agents, such as benzodiazepine (BZD) and SGAs (except oral risperidone), among all of the LAI groups in the post-LAI period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to the results of this observational study, we suggest that the effectiveness of RLAI is not superior to that of FGA (haloperidol or flupentixol) LAIs, but that RLAI might have fewer adverse effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsaing-Yuan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chih Yin
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Hsiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Dou-Liou Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan. Electronic address: andchen@mail.ncku.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Kao Chin
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Lan-Ting
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Dou-Liou Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wei Hung
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Mei Hung
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hui Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Po See
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yen Kuang
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005260:Female; D005475:Flupenthixol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D018967:Risperidone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D005475:Flupenthixol; D006220:Haloperidol; D018967:Risperidone
keywords: Effectiveness; First-generation antipsychotic; Long-acting injection; Nationwide; Relapse; Second-generation antipsychotic