A comparative study of the efficacy of amisulpride and olanzapine in patients with schizophrenia attending the outpatient Department of Psychiatry in a tertiary care hospital, Silchar, Assam, India

ABSTRACT

Background: Schizophrenia is one of the most commonly encountered psychiatric disorders. It is characterized by impairment in perception or expression of reality, leading to occupational and social dysfunction. Now a day’s mainstay of treatment of schizophrenia is by using atypical antipsychotics. Amisulpride and olanzapine are atypical antipsychotics which are commonly used in treatment of schizophrenia. The current study is undertaken to assess the efficacy of amisulpride which is a relatively newer antipsychotics against existing antipsychotic olanzapine.Methods: This was designed as a single-blind, prospective, parallel-group, observational study. Eighty adult patients of either sex were randomized to receive standard doses of the two drugs orally for 12 weeks, with follow up at 4 and 8 weeks. Effectiveness was assessed by change in the score of Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) score during the treatment period. Data were entered in Microsoft excel and statistical analysis were done using graph pad and p value <0.05 considered to be statistically significant.Results: Out of 80 adults patients 76 patients were evaluated by dividing into two groups, 38 patients were included in each group. Final BPRS score was less for olanzapine as compared to amisulpride (p<0.001). Improvement in CGI score is more in olanzapine group than amisulpride group which became statistically significant from 8th weeks onwards.Conclusions: Both amisulpride and olanzapine are very effective in controlling the symptoms of schizophrenia which is evident by significant decrease in BPRS, CGI-S and CGI-I score, but efficacy of amisulpride is still inferior to olanzapine.