Duration of treatment
1/ If it is a first episode of schizophrenia, it is necessary to take the antipsychotic treatment every day for 2 years (the 2 years begin when the symptoms of the disease have decreased or disappeared) before trying to gradually reduce it (with the agreement of the treating psychiatrist) over several months in order to stop it to see if the patient is within 20% of the recovery from schizophrenia.
2/ If symptoms of the disease reappear when treatment is reduced or stopped (relapse), treatment should be taken every day for 5 years.
3/ If symptoms of the disease recur a third time, when the treatment is reduced or stopped (relapse), the treatment should be taken every day for 10 years.
Recommendations:
Recommendations on taking antipsychotic treatment (2,7):
1/ Take the treatment every day
2/ Take the treatment at a regular time
3/ Do not stop treatment without medical advice
4/ Do not stop treatment abruptly
5/ Do not stop treatment if you experience side effects. If this is the case, you should list the side effects and talk to the psychiatrist who will find a solution to stop the side effects
6/ Do not consume alcohol with the treatment
Good to know
1/ All antipsychotic treatments can be measured in the blood with a blood test in a community laboratory or hospital. The advantage of this dosage is to be able to check if the dose of treatment you are taking is within the blood doses defined as having therapeutic efficacy. By having this blood test, we can adjust the doses of antipsychotic treatments more precisely
2/ There are also more advanced examinations, available only in certain hospitals, which allow us to look at the functioning of the units that metabolize the drugs that are cytochrome P450. These tests tell you if you are metabolizing the drugs normally, slowly, or quickly. With this knowledge, we can better tailor the treatment and avoid or adjust the doses of the drugs you are metabolizing quickly or slowly.
Hasan 2012, 2013, 2014; HAS, 2017