Aripiprazole for the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder: a review of available evidence

Effects of second-generation antipsychotics on human subcutaneous adipose tissue metabolism

OBJECTIVE

Metabolic syndrome is prevalent in up to 50% of schizophrenia patients, which reduces their quality of life and their compliance with the treatment. It is unclear whether metabolic adverse effects of these agents are due to their direct effect on insulin-sensitive tissues or are secondary to increased adiposity. The study aimed to investigate the direct effects of the second-generation antipsychotics olanzapine and aripiprazole on human subcutaneous adipose tissue and isolated adipocyte metabolism.

METHODS

Abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue needle biopsies were taken from 72 healthy subjects (49 F/23 M; age: 19-78 yr; BMI: 20.0-35.6 kg/m²). Isolated adipocytes or adipose tissue were respectively pre-incubated short- (30 min) and long-term (24 h, 72 h) with or without olanzapine (0.004 μM - 20 μM) and aripiprazole (0.002 μM - 100 μM). Pre-incubated adipose tissue was then snap-frozen for mRNA expression analysis of adipokines genes and genes involved in inflammation, adipogenesis, and mitochondrial function. Isolated adipocytes were used to measure basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and lipolysis.

RESULTS

Acute treatment with a therapeutic concentration of olanzapine decreases basal lipolysis in isolated adipocytes; this effect was not observed after long-term incubation with the drug. Supra-therapeutic concentration of aripiprazole reduced basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake after short- and long-term pre-incubation. Both drugs at supra-therapeutic concentrations downregulated the expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL6 and IL1B genes after 72 h incubation. Similarly, supra-therapeutic concentrations of both drugs and therapeutic concentration of olanzapine, reduced the expression of PPARGC1A, PDK4, and CPT1B genes involved in the regulation of mitochondrial functions. Neither of the antipsychotics affected the expression of the main adipokines LEP and ADIPOQ, genes involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism, LPL and FASN, nor the master adipogenesis regulator, PPARG.

CONCLUSION

Therapheutic concentrations of olanzapine and aripiprazole have a moderate direct effect on adipocyte lipid and glucose metabolism, respectively. At supra-therapeutic concentrations, both of the antipsychotics seem to act as anti-inflammatory agents and mildly suppressed genes involved in the regulation of mitochondrial functions, which could potentially contribute to metabolic adverse effects. Alternatively, second-generation antipsychotics could induce metabolic side effects via acting on other insulin-sensitive tissues and central nervous system.

Aripiprazole once-monthly as maintenance treatment for bipolar I disorder: a 52-week, multicenter, open-label study

Background

The long-acting injectable antipsychotic aripiprazole once-monthly 400 mg (AOM 400) was recently approved for maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder (BP-I). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of AOM 400 as long-term maintenance treatment for BP-I.

Methods

This open-label multicenter study evaluated the effectiveness of AOM 400 as maintenance treatment for BP-I by assessing safety and tolerability (primary objective) and efficacy (secondary objective). The study enrolled AOM 400-naive (“de novo”) patients as well as AOM 400-experienced (“rollover”) patients with BP-I from a lead-in randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial that demonstrated the efficacy of AOM 400 in the maintenance treatment of BP-I (Calabrese et al. in J Clin Psychiatry 78:324–331, 2017). Safety variables included frequency and severity of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and TEAEs resulting in study discontinuation. Efficacy was assessed by the proportion of patients maintaining stability throughout the maintenance phase, as well as mean changes from baseline in Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale, and Clinical Global Impressions for Bipolar Disorder–Severity of Illness Scale (CGI-BP-S) total scores. Patient acceptability and tolerability of treatment was assessed using the Patient Satisfaction with Medication Questionnaire-Modified.

Results

Of 464 patients entering the maintenance phase, 379 (82%) were de novo and 85 (18%) were rollover. TEAEs were more common in de novo than rollover patients. The overall discontinuation rate due to TEAEs was 10.3% (48/464). Improvements in YMRS and CGI-BP-S total scores were maintained during the study, and the vast majority of both de novo (87.0%) and rollover (97.6%) patients maintained stability through their last visit. Overall, the need for rescue medication during the maintenance phase was minimal (< 10% of patients). Patient satisfaction levels were high, with both de novo and rollover patients rating the side effect burden of AOM 400 as greatly improved relative to previous medications.

Conclusion

AOM 400 was safe, effective, and well tolerated by both de novo and AOM 400-experienced patients with BP-I for long-term maintenance treatment.

Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01710709

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s40345-018-0122-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Effects of switching to aripiprazole from current atypical antipsychotics on subsyndromal symptoms and tolerability in patients with bipolar disorder

We evaluated the effectiveness of aripiprazole among bipolar patients who had switched to this medication as a result of difficulty maintaining on their prestudy atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) because of subsyndromal mood symptoms or intolerance. This study included 77 bipolar patients who were in syndromal remission with an AAP as monotherapy or with an AAP combined with a mood stabilizer(s) who needed to switch from their present AAP because of subsyndromal symptoms or intolerance. At 24 weeks after switching to aripiprazole, the remission rates on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and on both the MADRS and the Young Mania Rating Scale were increased significantly in the full sample and in the inefficacy subgroup. In the inefficacy subgroup, the MADRS score change was significant during the 24 weeks of study. Total cholesterol and prolactin decreased significantly after switching to aripiprazole. The proportion of patients who had abnormal values for central obesity and hypercholesterolemia decreased significantly from baseline to week 24. These findings suggest that a change from the current AAP to aripiprazole was associated with improvement in subsyndromal mood symptoms and several lipid/metabolic or safety profile parameters in patients with bipolar disorder with tolerability concerns or subsyndromal mood symptoms.

Aripiprazole adjunct treatment in bipolar I or II disorder, depressed state: a 2-year clinical study

The symptomatic course of bipolar disorder (BPD) is chronic and dominated by depression. As recurrence rates are high, maintenance therapy is required. Although efficacious, mood stabilizers may be hampered by poor adherence, and second-generation antipsychotic medications may be associated with weight gain and metabolic abnormalities. There is evidence to suggest that aripiprazole is beneficial in major depressive disorder and BPD with depression. We therefore investigated 2-year clinical outcomes with aripiprazole adjunct therapy at 5 to 15 mg once daily alongside a mood stabilizer in 40 patients with BPD. All patients experienced marked improvements in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale scores by 6 weeks and substantial reductions in Clinical Global Impressions Scale scores by 6 months. All patients were able to return to optimal or premorbid functioning by 6 months to 1 year. By 1 year, all patients made a complete functional recovery on the Sheehan Disability Scale. Improvements were maintained on all measures up to 2 years. There were minimal adverse events, all of which decreased during therapy. Our findings indicate that aripiprazole adjunct treatment is safe and effective as an acute and maintenance therapy for BPD. However, the findings will need to be replicated by larger studies.

Effect of valproate on the plasma concentrations of aripiprazole in bipolar patients

OBJECTIVE

There is very limited documentation available on the effects of valproate co-medication on the pharmacokinetics of aripiprazole in a naturalistic setting. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of co-medication with valproate on serum concentrations of aripiprazole in bipolar disorder patients in a clinical setting.

METHOD

Plasma samples of bipolar disorder patients (n = 69) on a stable dose of aripiprazole 20 mg/day were analyzed by a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method in a routine therapeutic drug monitoring setting. Therapeutic drug monitoring was done for the entire study group before and after valproate co-administration.

RESULTS

We observed a statistically significant difference between the aripiprazole monotherapy and aripiprazole-valproate combination with respect to total aripiprazole plasma levels (p < 0.01). However, no statistically significant differences were noted in aripiprazole levels between the first week and the second week of valproate co-administration.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, concurrent treatment with valproate resulted in changes in the total aripiprazole plasma levels by 23%. But a lower total aripiprazole concentration during co-medication with valproate, caused by protein binding displacement, is reported being clinically insignificant in previous studies. The results from these studies are important in order to clarify clinical safety and efficacy.

The diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder: decision-making in primary care

Bipolar disorder is a chronic episodic illness, characterized by recurrent episodes of manic or depressive symptoms. Patients with bipolar disorder frequently present first to primary care, but the diversity of the potential symptoms and a low index of suspicion among physicians can lead to misdiagnosis in many patients. Frequently, co-occurring psychiatric and medical conditions further complicate the differential diagnosis. A thorough diagnostic evaluation at clinical interview, combined with supportive case-finding tools, is essential to reach an accurate diagnosis. When treating bipolar patients, the primary care physician has an integral role in coordinating the multidisciplinary network. Pharmacologic treatment underpins both short- and long-term management of bipolar disorder. Maintenance treatment to prevent relapse is frequently founded on the same pharmacologic approaches that were effective in treating the acute symptoms. Regardless of the treatment approach that is selected, monitoring over the long term is essential to ensure continued symptom relief, functioning, safety, adherence, and general medical health. This article describes key decision-making steps in the management of bipolar disorder from the primary care perspective: from initial clinical suspicion to confirmation of the diagnosis to decision-making in acute and longer-term management and the importance of patient monitoring.

The effects of novel and newly approved antipsychotics on serum prolactin levels: a comprehensive review

Since the 1970s, clinicians have increasingly become more familiar with hyperprolactinemia (HPRL) as a common adverse effect of antipsychotic medication, which remains the cornerstone of pharmacological treatment for patients with schizophrenia. Although treatment with second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) as a group is, compared with use of the first-generation antipsychotics, associated with lower prolactin (PRL) plasma levels, the detailed effects on plasma PRL levels for each of these compounds in reports often remain incomplete or inaccurate. Moreover, at this moment, no review has been published about the effect of the newly approved antipsychotics asenapine, iloperidone and lurasidone on PRL levels. The objective of this review is to describe PRL physiology; PRL measurement; diagnosis, causes, consequences and mechanisms of HPRL; incidence figures of (new-onset) HPRL with SGAs and newly approved antipsychotics in adolescent and adult patients; and revisit lingering questions regarding this hormone. A literature search, using the MEDLINE database (1966-December 2013), was conducted to identify relevant publications to report on the state of the art of HPRL and to summarize the available evidence with respect to the propensity of the SGAs and the newly approved antipsychotics to elevate PRL levels. Our review shows that although HPRL usually is defined as a sustained level of PRL above the laboratory upper limit of normal, limit values show some degree of variability in clinical reports, making the interpretation and comparison of data across studies difficult. Moreover, many reports do not provide much or any data detailing the measurement of PRL. Although the highest rates of HPRL are consistently reported in association with amisulpride, risperidone and paliperidone, while aripiprazole and quetiapine have the most favorable profile with respect to this outcome, all SGAs can induce PRL elevations, especially at the beginning of treatment, and have the potential to cause new-onset HPRL. Considering the PRL-elevating propensity of the newly approved antipsychotics, evidence seems to indicate these agents have a PRL profile comparable to that of clozapine (asenapine and iloperidone), ziprasidone and olanzapine (lurasidone). PRL elevations with antipsychotic medication generally are dose dependant. However, antipsychotics having a high potential for PRL elevation (amisulpride, risperidone and paliperidone) can have a profound impact on PRL levels even at relatively low doses, while PRL levels with antipsychotics having a minimal effect on PRL, in most cases, can remain unchanged (quetiapine) or reduce (aripiprazole) over all dosages. Although tolerance and decreases in PRL values after long-term administration of PRL-elevating antipsychotics can occur, the elevations, in most cases, remain above the upper limit of normal. PRL profiles of antipsychotics in children and adolescents seem to be the same as in adults. The hyperprolactinemic effects of antipsychotic medication are mostly correlated with their affinity for dopamine D2 receptors at the level of the anterior pituitary lactotrophs (and probably other neurotransmitter mechanisms) and their blood-brain barrier penetrating capability. Even though antipsychotics are the most common cause of pharmacologically induced HPRL, recent research has shown that HPRL can be pre-existing in a substantial portion of antipsychotic-naïve patients with first-episode psychosis or at-risk mental state.

Aripiprazole in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

INTRODUCTION

Psychosis is a common and difficult to treat symptom in Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is a cause of diminished quality of life and caregiver distress. Atypical antipsychotics are frequently used for the treatment of dementia-related psychosis, despite FDA warnings because of increased mortality associated with the use of these medications in dementia patients. Aripiprazole is a newer atypical antipsychotic drug with partial agonist activity at dopamine receptors and antagonist activity at 5-HT(2A) receptors, with a low side-effect profile.

AREAS COVERED

This descriptive review gives a short overview of the pathology and epidemiology of AD, including psychotic symptoms, and describes the mode of action of aripiprazole and results of preclinical studies. Finally, randomized controlled trials evaluating the use of aripiprazole in AD-related psychosis and agitation are discussed. Whenever relevant, meta-analytical data from literature are referred to.

EXPERT OPINION

In randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials, aripiprazole shows modest efficacy in the treatment of AD-related psychosis. Neuropsychiatric symptoms alleviated were predominantly psychotic features and agitation. In individual trials, aripiprazole was generally well tolerated, serious side effects were seldom reported and included accidental injury and somnolence. Meta-analyses however demonstrated increased mortality as a class effect for atypical, but also for typical antipsychotics. No increased cardiovascular outcomes, cerebrovascular accidents, increased appetite or weight gain were demonstrated in meta-analyses for aripiprazole-treated patients with psychosis of dementia. Aripiprazole was found to induce sedation. Aripiprazole should only be used in selected patient populations resistant to non-pharmacological treatment with persisting or severe psychotic symptoms and/or agitation, and in which symptoms lead to significant morbidity, patient suffering and potential self-harm. The indication for continuing treatment should be revised regularly.

Aripiprazole in the acute and maintenance phase of bipolar I disorder

Bipolar affective disorder is a disabling illness with substantial morbidity and many management challenges. Traditional mood stabilizers such as lithium, valproate, and carbamazepine are often inadequate in controlling symptoms both during the acute and maintenance phase of treatment. Aripiprazole is a second-generation antipsychotic with a unique mechanism of action. Evidence suggests that it is effective in acute manic and mixed states. There are limited data to suggest its efficacy as a maintenance agent. Future studies will be needed to better define the role of aripiprazole relative to other traditional pharmacologic agents.