[Clinical presentations and therapy of polysubstance dependence in patients with schizophrenia]. / Osobennosti kliniki i terapii sindroma zavisimosti ot neskol'kikh psikhoaktivnykh veshchestv u bol'nykh shizofreniei.

BACKGROUND: The article presents the results of a clinical therapeutic and follow-up study of patients with a 'dual diagnosis' (polysubstance dependence comorbid with schizophrenia: paranoid schizophrenia or schizotypal disorder). OBJECTIVE: To study clinical/dynamic changes of polysubstance dependence in patients with schizophrenia (paranoid schizophrenia, schizotypal disorder) and to evaluate the duration and quality of therapeutic remissions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two hundred and sixty-six male patients, including 176 patients with dependence syndrome and 90 patients with both dependence syndrome and schizophrenia, were studied. RESULTS: Patients with the 'dual diagnosis' are characterized by early social maladjustment, earlier social deformation, lack of social skills and preference for a lonely lifestyle. The clinical and dynamic characteristics of dependence syndrome in patients with 'dual diagnosis' include older age of the first use of a psychoactive substance (PS), preference of alcohol as the first PS, experiment as the most frequent motivation for using PS (due to thought disorder), and the treatment of psychopathological disorders (PS like medicine) with a chaotic pattern being the most common in the use, a tendency to hospitalism. CONCLUSION: The success of the treatment of patients with 'dual diagnosis' is possible by combining the therapy of endogenous disease and polysubstance dependence.

Atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of patients with a dual diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders and substance use disorders: the results of a randomized comparative study.

The article presents the results of a randomized comparative study of Aripiprazole and Quetiapine in the treatment of patients with a dual diagnosis: schizophrenia and substance use disorders. During the study, 90 of the 266 male patients were screened. Among them, 54 individuals (60%) had a previously established diagnosis of mental disorder and 36 patients (40%) had no established psychiatric diagnosis. They were randomly randomized into three groups of 30 patients, each receiving an antipsychotic: Aripiprazole at a dose of up to 20 mg daily, Quetiapine at a dose of up to 600 mg daily, or Haloperidol at a dose of up to 30 mg daily. The efficacy of Aripiprazole and Quetiapine was evaluated using the following scales: PANSS, BPRS, VAS, and Substance Craving Scale (SCS). Drug safety was assessed by the development of adverse events, serious adverse events, or adverse reactions. Study results demonstrated the efficacy of atypical antipsychotics in the three groups. Analysis of independent variables showed significant differences between Aripiprazole and Haloperidol in PANSS and BPRS scores by Visit 4, in VAS scores by Visit 3, and in SCS scores by Visit 2. Intergroup analysis of independent variables showed significant differences between Quetiapine and Haloperidol in PANSS, VAS, and SCS scores by Visit 4. Intergroup analysis of independent variables showed significant differences between Aripiprazole and Quetiapine in the VAS and SCS scores. The correlation analysis allowed drawing conclusions about the close connection of the symptoms of schizophrenia and substance use disorders in patients with a dual diagnosis.

[Aripiprazole and quetiapine in the treatment of patients with 'dual diagnosis' of schizophrenia and drug addiction]. / Aripiprazol i kvetiapin v terapii bol'nykh s komorbidnost'iu shizofrenii i boleznei zavisimosti.

AIM: The randomized comparative study of aripiprazole and quetiapine in the treatment of patients with 'dual diagnosis' of schizophrenia and drug addiction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Intra-group analysis of dependent variables on the scales PANSS, BPRS, VAS, SACS showed significant differences in the dinamics of the therapy in all groups. A comparative randomized study included 90 men admitted to an inpatient addiction unit. Of these, 54 (60%) had a previously established psychiatric diagnosis and 36 patients (40%) did not have an established psychiatric diagnosis. They were randomized into 3 groups of 30 patients each: group 1 received aripiprazole at a dose of up to 20 mg/day, group 2 received quetiapine at a dose of up to 600 mg/day and group 3 (controls) was treated with haloperidol at a dose of up to 30 mg/day. Treatment duration was 21 days. The efficacy of aripiprazole and quetiapine was evaluated with PANSS, BPRS, VAS and SACS on 10th, 14th and 21st day (visits 2-4). Drug safety was evaluated by recording adverse events or side-effects. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: An analysis of independent variables showed significant differences between aripiprazole and haloperidol in PANSS and BPRS scores at visit 4, in VAS scores at visit 3, and in SACS scores at visit 2. An intergroup analysis of independent variables showed significant differences between quetiapine and haloperidol in PANSS, VAS and SACS scores at visit 4 and between aripiprazole and quetiapine in VAS and SACS scores. According to the results of the correlation analisys it has been concluded that presenting features of schizophrenia are closely correlated with drug addiction (craving).