Long-acting injectable aripiprazole. Clinical experience in a case series

Abstract

Introduction

The use of long-acting injectable antipsychotics is useful in patients with low therapeutic compliance.

Objective

To present the demographic and clinical data of a case series in which long-acting injectable aripiprazole has been prescribed in an ambulatory Mental Health Center.

Methods

Systematic review of the related literature and clinical history of patients in which long-acting injectable aripiprazole had been prescribed from January to March 2015 in a Mental Health Center.

Results

We found 10 patients, whose diagnosis were schizophrenia (4), non-specified psychosis (2), personality disorder (1), bipolar disorder (1), schizoaffective disorder (2), of whom 7 were men and 3 women, with a mean age of 43.8 years old. The mean of years since diagnosis was 15.1 years. In 7 patients, we found concomitant treatment with another antipsychotic agent (low dose quetiapine in all of them); antidepressants in 1 patient, benzodiazepines in 6; mood stabiliser in 5 and biperidene in 1. In relation to previous antipsychotic drugs, we found: aripiprazole 15 mg/day oral (4); long-acting injectable paliperdidone 150 mg/28 days (2) paliperdone 6 mg/day oral (1); combination of paliperidone 6 mg/day oral plus olanzapine 5 mg/day oral (1). Only 4 patients had used long-acting injectable drugs previously in their lifetime. The reason of having initiated treatment with long-acting injectable aripiprazole was sexual disturbance (3); lack of compliance (4); clinical inestability (2) and motor side effects (1).

Conclusions

In our series, we can observe a chronic patient profile, predominantly men with diagnosis of psychotic spectrum.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.