Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

Consumer Reports on Best Drugs for Schizophrenia

Consumer Reports magazine has recently published a review of what they believe are the best drugs for schizophrenia. It seems to be based on all the latest research that has come out on different medications effectiveness (i.e. the CATIE trials).

The Consumer reports story suggests:

Antipsychotic drugs help many people with schizophrenia live more meaningful, stable lives with fewer – and sometimes no – periods of hospitalization. But they are a highly problematic class of medicines. A sizeable percentage of people with schizophrenia get little or no benefit when they take an antipsychotic while others get only a partial reduction in symptoms. Side effects pose a major barrier to continuous use. In studies, for example, three of every four people stopped taking an antipsychotic or switched to a different one within 18 months.

Newer and quite expensive antipsychotics marketed heavily to doctors over the past 15 years have largely eclipsed an older generation of drugs developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Research for years appeared to indicate that the newer drugs were better, largely because they had fewer side effects. But recent large-scale studies now indicate that, overall, the older drugs work just as well, at far lower cost.

Read the full story: Treating Schizophrenia (Consumer Reports)

They also have a 19-page report for your download here.