The Subjective Well-Being of the Schizophrenic Patients Who Switched Their Antipsychotics to Risperidone / 대한정신약물학회지

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the subjective well-being of schizophrenic patients who switched their antipsychotics to risperidone as the maintenance treatment over 24 weeks. METHODS: Thirty-one patients were evaluated using Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for psychopathology and UKU side effects rating scale for drug-induced adverse events. Also the subjects were asked to score the 10 items self-rating scale (KmSWN-10), which derived from the 19-items of Korean modified version of Subjective Well-being under the neuroleptic treatment (KmSWN) scale. The assessments were administered at baseline, 2 weeks, 12 weeks and 24 weeks after switching to risperidone. Analysis were done using repeated measures of ANOVA. Pearson correlation analysis were also done to assess the correlation between KmSWN-10 and psychopathology and drug induced side effects. RESULTS: There were significant improvements on the scores of KmSWN-10 and reductions on the PANSS and UKU side effect rating scores during the treatment of risperidone. KmSWN-10 was negatively correlated with the total, negative and general psychopathology scales of PANSS at baseline, and also negatively corrleated with total, positive, negative, general psychopathology scales and depressive factor of PANSS scores and total UKU side effects rating scores at 24 weeks of treatment. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the maintenance treatment with risperidone positively affected on the subjective well-being of schizophrenic patients due to improvement of psychotic symptoms and decrement of side effects. KmSWN-10 may be more related with negative and general psychopathlogy scales of PANSS in this study.

The Acute Pharmacodynamic Effects of Venlafaxine and Mirtazapine on Psychomotor Performance, Motor Activity, and Daytime Sleepiness / 대한정신약물학회지

OBJECTIVE: For the optimal use of antidepressants, it is important to consider the behavioral effects of drugs affecting the real lives of depressed patients, as there is little difference in therapeutic effects between drugs. The aim of this study was to determine the acute pharmacodynamic effects of two recently introduced antidepressants, venlafaxine and mirtazapine, on psychomotor performance, motor activity and daytime sleepiness. METHODS: Twelve healthy male volunteers received a single dose of venlafaxine 37.5 mg, mirtazapine 15 mg or amitriptyline 25 mg (positive control) at one-week intervals in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. Volunteers wore an actigraph on their non-dominant wrist for the duration of each test day. A battery of psychomotor tests was performed prior to dosing and at 2 and 6 h post-dose. Subjective daytime sleepiness was also assessed at the end of each test day. RESULTS: Venlafaxine did not affect psychomotor performance, motor activity and daytime sleepiness. Mirtazapine decreased thresholds in critical flicker fusion frequency, increased reaction times in choice reaction tests, and increased peripheral reaction times in compensatory tracking tests. It also caused significant daytime sleepiness and decreased motor activity. CONCLUSION: The differences in the behavioral effect profiles presented in this study should assist in the selection or scheduling of antidepressants.