Antipsychotic drugs and relapse prevention

Strategies for preventing relapse during the maintenance or stable phase of schizophrenia are discussed for both conventional and newer antipsychotics. For conventional agents, strategies focus on finding dosages that minimize antipsychotic drug side effects and provide adequate protection against psychotic relapse. Although few studies are available to compare older and newer antipsychotics for preventing relapse, there are reasons for proposing that newer drugs will be shown to be superior. Because of their milder side effects, clinicians can choose drug dosages that provide maximum protection against relapse. Further, since patients on the newer drugs are likely to experience fewer discomforting side effects, they may be more likely to take their medications as directed. Other potential advantages of the newer drugs over the older drugs include the likelihood that they are more effective against negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.