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The article discusses a study to determine whether the higher dose of quetiapine was associated with more extrapyramidal symptoms in patients with persistent symptoms of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. The safety, tolerability, and efficacy of high-dose quetiapine are examined. It was observed that the use of quetiapine outside the approved dose range has no advantage.

Objective: To analyze the effect of adjunctive brexpiprazole on metabolic parameters and body weight in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) based on pooled data from 4 short-term studies and 1 long-term extension study., Methods: The short-term studies (June 2011 to November 2016) were randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in outpatients with MDD (DSM-IV-TR criteria) and inadequate response to 1-3 prior antidepressant treatments (ADTs) plus 1 prospective ADT. Patients were randomized to adjunctive brexpiprazole (fixed or flexible doses in the range of 1-3 mg/d; n = 1,032) or placebo (n = 819) for 6 weeks. The long-term study (October 2011 to May 2017) was a 52-week (amended to 26 weeks), open-label, uncontrolled study of adjunctive brexpiprazole 0.5-3 mg/d (flexible dose; n = 2,938). Mean changes from baseline and categorical shifts in fasting metabolic parameters (cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose) and body weight were analyzed., Results: Mean changes from baseline in metabolic parameters were small after 6 weeks (all < 2 mg/dL) and 52 weeks (all < 4 mg/dL, except triglycerides, 15.83 mg/dL) of treatment. In most cases, the incidence of unfavorable shifts in metabolic parameters was lower than the incidence of favorable shifts. Mean body weight increase at last visit in the short-term studies was 1.5 kg with ADT + brexpiprazole and 0.3 kg with ADT + placebo. During long-term treatment, mean body weight increased by 3.8 kg over 58 weeks., Conclusions: Adjunctive brexpiprazole was associated with small changes in metabolic parameters and moderate weight gain during short- and long-term treatment., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT01360645, NCT01360632, NCT02196506, NCT01727726, NCT01360866., (© Copyright 2019 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.)