Pharmacotherapy of acute psychotic states: The reason for benzodiazepines and valproic acid augmentation

Abstract

Acute psychotic states (APS) usually are diagnosed as schizophrenia spectrum and affective disorders and make up about 45% of cases. The goal of the study was to elucidate the effect of benzodiazepines (BDZ) and valproic acid augmentation in the APS pharmacotherapy. The study was carried out on 102 inpatients diagnosed up to ICD-10 as schizophrenia (n = 24), acute and transient psychotic disorders (n = 40), other mental disorders due to brain damage and dysfunction and to physical disease (n = 17), schizoaffective disorder (n = 12), bipolar affective disorder (n = 9). Patients were randomized into four therapeutic groups:

– benzodiazepines (BDZ);

– one neuroleptic or combination of one neuroleptic and one BDZ (NBDZ);

– combination of valproic acid with BDZ or neuroleptic (VBDZN);

– polypragmasy (PP): from two drugs of one group up to four and more drugs at the same time.

The mental state of the patients was evaluated daily and estimated before, weekly and after APS termination by BPRS and CGI scale. The APS in all groups lasted from 1 to 50 days (mean 11.4). The shortest duration of APS was In BDZ group – 4.7 days; in VBDZN and NBDZ, the duration was 7.0 and 7.4 days (P < 0.05); in PP group, the treatment lasted 24.5 days (P < 0.001). Before therapy, average BPRS rate was 43.5 ± 8.1, CGI – 6.2 ± 0.8; after APS, BPRS was 18.9 ± 2.1, CGI – 1.1 ± 0.3. All rates did not differ among subgroups. APS therapy by BDZ and its combination with neuroleptics and valproic acid was effective compared to the polypragmasy.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.