title: LAI versus oral: A case-control study on subjective experience of antipsychotic maintenance treatment.
abstract: To present real-world evidence on the differences between long-acting injectable (LAI) and oral antipsychotic maintenance treatment (AMT) in terms of subjective well-being, attitudes towards drug and quality of life in a sample of remitted schizophrenic subjects.
  
  
  
  Twenty outpatients with remitted schizophrenia treated with either olanzapine or paliperidone and switching from the oral to the LAI formulation of their maintenance treatment were recruited before the switch (LAI-AMT group). A group of 20 remitted schizophrenic subjects with oral AMT and matching main sociodemographic, clinical and treatment variables made up the control group (oral-AMT group). All participants were assessed in terms of objective (PANSS, YMRS, MADRS) and subjective (SWN-K, DAI-10, SF-36) treatment outcomes at baseline (T0) and after 6 months (T1).
  
  
  
  Between T0 and T1, general psychopathology of the PANSS, DAI-10, and all but one of the SWN-K dimensions (except for social integration), showed significantly higher percentages of improvement in the LAI-AMT group compared to the oral-AMT group. A generalized expansion of health-related quality of life, with better functioning in almost all areas of daily living, was reported by the LAI-AMT group after the 6-month period. In contrast, the oral-AMT group reported a significant worsening of health-related quality of life in the areas of emotional role and social functioning in the same period.
  
  
  
  Our study indicates possible advantages of LAI over oral antipsychotic formulation in terms of subjective experience of maintenance treatment in remitted schizophrenic patients. Size and duration of this study need to be expanded in order to produce more solid and generalizable results.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric unit, department of neuroscience, psychology, drug research and child health, section of neuroscience, university of Florence, Via delle Gore 2H, 50134 Florence, Italy. Electronic address: francesco.pietrini@unifi.it.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pietrini
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric unit, department of neuroscience, psychology, drug research and child health, section of neuroscience, university of Florence, Via delle Gore 2H, 50134 Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spadafora
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric unit, department of neuroscience, psychology, drug research and child health, section of neuroscience, university of Florence, Via delle Gore 2H, 50134 Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tatini
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric unit, department of neuroscience, psychology, drug research and child health, section of neuroscience, university of Florence, Via delle Gore 2H, 50134 Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Talamba
authors.affiliation: Department of biomedical and neuromotor sciences, university of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Andrisano
authors.affiliation: Department of mental health and substance abuse, local health trust of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Boncompagni
authors.affiliation: Therapeutic psychiatric community, Campo del Vescovo Union, La Spezia, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manetti
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric unit, department of neuroscience, psychology, drug research and child health, section of neuroscience, university of Florence, Via delle Gore 2H, 50134 Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ricca
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric unit, department of neuroscience, psychology, drug research and child health, section of neuroscience, university of Florence, Via delle Gore 2H, 50134 Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ballerini
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D000077152:Olanzapine; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D000077152:Olanzapine
keywords: Antipsychotics; Quality of care; Quality of life; Schizophrenia and psychosis