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Abstract
Mirtazapine has often been prescribed as add-on treatment for schizophrenia in patients with suboptimal response to conventional treatments. In this review, we evaluate the existing evidence for efficacy and effectiveness of add-on mirtazapine in schizophrenia and reappraise the practical and theoretical aspects of mirtazapine-antipsychotic combinations. In randomized controlled trials (RCTs), mirtazapine demonstrated favourable effects on negative and cognitive (although plausibly not depressive) symptoms, with no risk of psychotic exacerbation. Mirtazapine also may have a desirable effect on antipsychotic-induced sexual dysfunction, but seems not to alleviate extrapyramidal symptoms, at least if combined with second-generation antipsychotics. It is noteworthy that all published RCTs have been underpowered and relatively short in duration. In the only large pragmatic effectiveness study that provided analyses by add-on antidepressant, only mirtazapine was associated with both decreased rate of hospital admissions and number of in-patient days. Mirtazapine hardly affects the pharmacokinetics of antipsychotics. However, possible pharmacodynamic interactions (sedation and metabolic offence) should be borne in mind. The observed desired clinical effects of mirtazapine may be due to its specific receptor-blocking properties. Alternative theoretical explanations include its possible neuroprotective effect. Further well-designed RCTs and real-world effectiveness studies are needed to determine whether add-on mirtazapine should be recommended for difficult-to-treat schizophrenia.
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The Effect of Clozapine on Self-reported Duration of Sleep and Its Interaction With 23 Other Medications: A 5-Year Naturalistic Study. J Clin Psychopharmacol 2021; 41:534-539. [PMID: 34519455 DOI: 10.1097/jcp.0000000000001432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sedation is a common and incapacitating clozapine adverse effect, but the factors associated with sedation and its pharmacological management remain poorly studied. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study based on deidentified electronic clinical records of clozapine-treated patients from the secondary mental health care provider for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, United Kingdom. We first evaluated cross-sectionally the influence of clozapine dose, clozapine, and norclozapine plasma levels on self-reported hours slept, as a proxy for sedation, using bivariate correlation and then the longitudinal effect of changes in clozapine dose and other 23 medications using linear mixed effect models. We followed 241 clozapine-treated patients for 56 months on average, with 2237 face-to-face assessments in total. RESULTS Patients slept for a mean of 9.35 h/d, with 46% reporting 10 h/d or more. Cross-sectionally, sleep duration did not correlate with clozapine dose (r = 0.14, P = 0.106), but with clozapine plasma levels (r = 0.38, P < 0.0001) and norclozapine plasma levels (r = 0.25, P = 0.005). Longitudinally, the final mixed-effects model revealed 4 pharmacological variables that had a significant impact on hours slept: clozapine, risperidone augmentation, and atenolol were associated with increased sleep, whereas aripiprazole augmentation was associated with decreased sleep. We found that 20 other psychotropic medications measured were not associated with changes in sleep when added to clozapine. Excess sleep is a clozapine level-dependent adverse effect. CONCLUSIONS The impact of different augmentation strategies might help clinicians decide on the most adequate strategy, albeit further studies should confirm our results.
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Fernandez-Egea E, Worbe Y, Bernardo M, Robbins TW. Distinct risk factors for obsessive and compulsive symptoms in chronic schizophrenia. Psychol Med 2018; 48:2668-2675. [PMID: 29455687 PMCID: PMC6236440 DOI: 10.1017/s003329171800017x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2017] [Revised: 12/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is common in clozapine-treated patients although the actual prevalence, phenomenology and risk factors remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to address the three aforementioned questions. METHODS The electronic records of a large cohort of clozapine-medicated schizophrenia patients routinely screened for OCD were used. The Obsessive Compulsive Inventory Revised version (OCI-R) was available from 118 cases and a 21 points cut-off threshold for OCD was defined. RESULTS OCD prevalence was 47%, higher in patients on poly-pharmacy than on monotherapy (64% vs 31%; p = 0.001). Two OCI-R factors had significantly higher scores and distinct risk factors: checking behaviour (mean = 5.1; SD = 3.6) correlated with length of clozapine treatment (r = 0.21; p = 0.026), and obsessing factor (mean = 4.8; SD = 3.6) correlated with psychosis severity (r = 0.59; p = 0.001). These factors along with total OCI-R, did not correlate with either clozapine dose or plasma levels, after correcting for psychosis severity. CONCLUSIONS Screening for OCD in clozapine patients, and probably in those treated with structurally similar drugs with potent antiserotoninergic properties, should be widely adopted by clinicians. Further research is needed to understand the pathophysiology underlying repetitive behavior onset in clozapine-treated patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilio Fernandez-Egea
- Clozapine Clinic, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Yulia Worbe
- Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France; Department of Physiology, Neurophysiology Unit, Hospital Saint-Antoine, Paris, France; Institute du Cerveau et de Moelle Epigniere, Paris, France
| | - Miguel Bernardo
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, Spain
- Barcelona Clinic Schizophrenia Unit, Neuroscience Institute, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Trevor W. Robbins
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Osimo EF, Cardinal RN, Jones PB, Khandaker GM. Prevalence and correlates of low-grade systemic inflammation in adult psychiatric inpatients: An electronic health record-based study. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2018; 91:226-234. [PMID: 29544672 PMCID: PMC5910056 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.02.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Revised: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Low-grade inflammation is a risk factor for depression, psychosis and other major psychiatric disorders. It is associated with poor response to antidepressant and antipsychotics, and could potentially be a treatment target. However, there is limited data on the prevalence of low-grade inflammation in major psychiatric disorders, and on the characteristics of patients who show evidence of inflammation. We examined the prevalence of low-grade inflammation and associated socio-demographic and clinical factors in acute psychiatric inpatients. An anonymised search of the electronic patient records of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust was used to identify patients aged 18-65 years who were hospitalised between 2013 and 2016 (inclusive). We excluded patients on antibiotics or oral steroids, or with missing data. Inflammation was defined using serum C-reactive protein (>3 mg/L) or total white cell count (>9.4 × 109/L) as measured within 14 days of admission. Out of all 599 admissions, the prevalence of inflammation (serum CRP >3 mg/L) in the ICD-10 diagnostic groups of psychotic disorders (F20-29), mood disorders (F30-39), neurotic disorders (F40-48) and personality disorders (F60-69) was 32%, 21%, 22% and 42%, respectively. In multivariable analyses, low-grade inflammation was associated with older age, black ethnicity, being single, self-harm, diagnoses of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, current treatments with antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and with current treatment for medical comorbidities. A notable proportion of acutely unwell psychiatric patients from all ICD-10 major diagnostic groups show evidence of low-grade inflammation, suggesting inflammation may be relevant for all psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele F. Osimo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, UK,Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, England, UK,Corresponding author at: Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Herchel Smith Building Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK.
| | - Rudolf N. Cardinal
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, UK,Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, England, UK
| | - Peter B. Jones
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, UK,Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, England, UK
| | - Golam M. Khandaker
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, UK,Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, England, UK
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Low LL, Liu N, Lee KH, Ong MEH, Wang S, Jing X, Thumboo J. FAM-FACE-SG: a score for risk stratification of frequent hospital admitters. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2017; 17:35. [PMID: 28390405 PMCID: PMC5385059 DOI: 10.1186/s12911-017-0441-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background An accurate risk stratification tool is critical in identifying patients who are at high risk of frequent hospital readmissions. While 30-day hospital readmissions have been widely studied, there is increasing interest in identifying potential high-cost users or frequent hospital admitters. In this study, we aimed to derive and validate a risk stratification tool to predict frequent hospital admitters. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the readily available clinical and administrative data from the electronic health records of a tertiary hospital in Singapore. The primary outcome was chosen as three or more inpatient readmissions within 12 months of index discharge. We used univariable and multivariable logistic regression models to build a frequent hospital admission risk score (FAM-FACE-SG) by incorporating demographics, indicators of socioeconomic status, prior healthcare utilization, markers of acute illness burden and markers of chronic illness burden. We further validated the risk score on a separate dataset and compared its performance with the LACE index using the receiver operating characteristic analysis. Results Our study included 25,244 patients, with 70% randomly selected patients for risk score derivation and the remaining 30% for validation. Overall, 4,322 patients (17.1%) met the outcome. The final FAM-FACE-SG score consisted of nine components: Furosemide (Intravenous 40 mg and above during index admission); Admissions in past one year; Medifund (Required financial assistance); Frequent emergency department (ED) use (≥3 ED visits in 6 month before index admission); Anti-depressants in past one year; Charlson comorbidity index; End Stage Renal Failure on Dialysis; Subsidized ward stay; and Geriatric patient or not. In the experiments, the FAM-FACE-SG score had good discriminative ability with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.839 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.825–0.853) for risk prediction of frequent hospital admission. In comparison, the LACE index only achieved an AUC of 0.761 (0.745–0.777). Conclusions The FAM-FACE-SG score shows strong potential for implementation to provide near real-time prediction of frequent admissions. It may serve as the first step to identify high risk patients to receive resource intensive interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lian Leng Low
- Department of Family Medicine & Continuing Care, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore. .,Family Medicine Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Nan Liu
- Health Services Research Centre, Singapore Health Services, Singapore, Singapore. .,Centre for Quantitative Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Kheng Hock Lee
- Department of Family Medicine & Continuing Care, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Family Medicine Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Marcus Eng Hock Ong
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Sijia Wang
- Integrated Health Information Systems, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xuan Jing
- Health Services Research Centre, Singapore Health Services, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Julian Thumboo
- Health Services Research Centre, Singapore Health Services, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
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