Intramuscular olanzapine versus short-acting typical intramuscular antipsychotics: comparison of real-life effectiveness in the treatment of agitation.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of intramuscular (IM) olanzapine and typical IM antipsychotics in naturalistically treated acutely agitated patients with schizophrenia or acute mania.

Methods: During the acute phase, 2011 inpatients (including emergency settings) were assessed at 2, 24 and 72 h, and 7 days following initial injection and on oral antipsychotic transition. Mean change in agitation was assessed via Positive and Negative Symptom Scale-Excited Component (PANSS-EC) and Clinical Global Impressions-Severity (CGI-S) scores.