Switching depot antipsychotic drug responders to oral olanzapine.

In an open-label study, 13 patients taking depot antipsychotic medication for greater than 3 years were switched to oral olanzapine. The first 3-month experience has been previously reported. We now describe a second 3-month experience and integrate our observations into a cumulative 6-month report.

Switching from depot antipsychotic drugs to olanzapine in patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Background: Patients with chronic schizophrenia (DSM-IV criteria) often receive depot antipsychotic medications to assure longer administration and better compliance with their treatment regimen. This study evaluated whether patients stabilized on depot antipsychotic medication could be successfully transitioned to oral olanzapine.

Method: In a 3-month open-label study, 26 clinically stable patients with schizophrenia taking depot antipsychotics for over 3 years were randomly assigned to continue on their current depot dose or to switch to oral olanzapine.