Adjunctive minocycline in clozapine and amisulpride treated schizophrenia patients with persistent symptoms

Abstract

Objective

Clozapine and amisulpride are two effective antipsychotic and their combination often is used for treatment refractory people with schizophrenia, yet many patients partially respond. Clinical data and the recent literature suggest benefits with minocycline. in our study we adjunct minocycline in five schizophrenic patients and we observed them for a period of 6 months.

Methods

Our patients received adjunct minocycline (100 mg oral capsule twice daily).

Results

Using the PANSS, we identified a statistically significant (P < 0.05) clinical improvement from the fourth week of treatment for positive mainly, and less for negative symptoms in all our patients. Global cognitive function did not differ, although there was a significant improvement in working memory favoring minocycline. Moreover there was a marked reduction of anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Minocycline was well tolerated and no patient presented side effects.

Conclusion

Minocycline seems to help significantly schizophrenic patients who do not respond fully to their medication consisted of clozapine and amisulpride. Larger studies are needed to validate these findings.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.