title: Among the severely mentally ill, who responds to ziprasidone?
abstract: So far, demographic variables have not consistently been found to predict clinical response to antipsychotics. This study examines some differences in response to ziprasidone, which has been shown to be effective, with a better metabolic side effect profile, but was little used in New York State Hospitals. The aim was to study state hospital patients switched to ziprasidone. The results led to questions about different responses in different groups. Subjects from state hospitals who needed a change of antipsychotic participated in this openlabel 8 week trial of up to 240 mg ziprasidone. Analyses included comparisons of the very different results from two sites. Of the 36 study subjects, 12 terminated early. The 17 outpatients from Buffalo, who were older and on lower doses of antipsychotics pre-study, improved significantly. The 19 inpatients from the Bronx, overall younger and on higher pre-study doses, barely changed. Improvements in PANSS total score were significantly associated with older age, greater baseline severity, and lower doses of antipsychotics pre-study. The subjects improved on metabolic parameters. The results suggest that ziprasidone may be just as effective as previous antipsychotics taken by these severely mentally ill patients, and with fewer metabolic side effects.
authors.affiliation: 1 Bronx Psychiatric Center, Bronx, NY.|3 Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY.
authors.forename: Nigel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bark
authors.affiliation: 1 Bronx Psychiatric Center, Bronx, NY.|5 University of Kansas School of Medicine Wichita, Queens Village, NY.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lawson
authors.affiliation: 2 Buffalo Psychiatric Center, Bronx, NY.
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Trigoboff
authors.affiliation: 1 Bronx Psychiatric Center, Bronx, NY.
authors.forename: Rodica
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Varadi
authors.affiliation: 2 Buffalo Psychiatric Center, Bronx, NY.|7 State University of New York at Buffalo.
authors.forename: Jeffery
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grace
authors.affiliation: 2 Buffalo Psychiatric Center, Bronx, NY.
authors.forename: Josie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olympia
authors.affiliation: 1 Bronx Psychiatric Center, Bronx, NY.|8 South Beach Psychiatric Center, Staten Island, NY.
authors.forename: Nighat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sindhu
authors.affiliation: 2 Buffalo Psychiatric Center, Bronx, NY.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.affiliation: 1 Bronx Psychiatric Center, Bronx, NY.|3 Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY.|9 Bronx Lebanon Hospital.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: El-Defrawi
authors.affiliation: 1 Bronx Psychiatric Center, Bronx, NY.|3 Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY.|10 The Meadows Psychiatric Center, Centre Hall, PA.
authors.forename: Punyabrata
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roy
keywords: age; antipsychotic; demographics; metabolic side effects; schizophrenia; ziprasidone