Eight-year follow-up of olanzapine therapy in a previous treatment-refractory schizophrenic patient: a case report.

The introduction of atypical antipsychotic drugs during the 1990s represented a great step forward in the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychoses. These drugs might more effectively prevent relapse because of their effectiveness against a wider range of schizophrenic symptoms, as well as their improved tolerability, which leads to improved medication compliance. Olanzapine, a thienobenzodiazapine, is an antipsychotic drug with high affinity for the serotonergic receptors 5-HT 2 and 5-HT 6 and high affinity for dopaminergic receptors, mainly D2, D3 and D4, and with a lower propensity to cause extrapyramidal symptoms or increasing prolactin levels. The long-term efficacy and safety of olanzapine for treating treatment-refractory schizophrenia is still being investigated. The authors present a case of a 43-year-old man suffering from chronic treatment-resistant schizophrenia with both positive and negative symptoms, who was successfully treated with olanzapine for 8 years. (Int J Psych Clin Pract 2002; 6: 211-214 ).