Comparative Study of Aripiprazole, Quetiapine and Ziprasidone in the Treatment of First Episode Nonaffective Psychosis

Study setting and financial support: data for the present investigation were obtained from an ongoing epidemiological and three-year longitudinal intervention program of first-episode psychosis (PAFIP) conducted at the outpatient clinic and the inpatient unit at the University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Spain. Conforming to international standards for research ethics, this program was approved by the local institutional review board. Patients meeting inclusion criteria and their families provided written informed consent to be included in the PAFIP. The Mental Health Services of Cantabria provided funding for implementing the program. None pharmaceutical company supplied any financial support to it. Study design: this is a prospective, randomized, flexible-dose, open-label study. At study intake, all patients but eight were antipsychotic naïve. Dose ranges were 5-20 mg /day Aripiprazole, 40-160 mg/day Ziprasidone and 100-600 mg/day Quetiapine. Rapid titration schedule (5-day), until optimal dose was reached, was as a rule used unless severe side effects occur. At the treating physician´s discretion, the dose and type of antipsychotic medication could be changed based on clinical efficacy and the profile of side effects during the follow-up period. Antimuscarinic medication, Lormetazepam and Clonazepam were permitted for clinical reasons. No antimuscarinic agents were administered prophylactically. Antidepressants (Sertraline) and mood stabilizers (lithium) were permitted if clinically needed. The severity scale of the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Scale for the Assessment of Positive symptoms (SAPS), the Scale for the Assessment of Negative symptoms (SANS), the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) and the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) were used to evaluate symptomatology. To assess general adverse event experiences the Scale of the Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser (UKU), the Simpson-Angus Rating Scale (SARS) and the Barnes Akathisia Scale (BAS) were used. The same trained psychiatrist (BC-F) completed all clinical assessments. The adverse events were evaluated using the UKU Side effect rating scale. Those treatment-emergent adverse events that occurred at a rate of at least 10% in either treatment group are considered. Treatment-emergent akathisia (BAS) and extrapyramidal symptoms (SARS) were assessed by both baseline-to-end changes and newly emergent categorical changes.