Ning and colleagues recently published their research in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. Their study looked at reducing the dose of olanzapine or risperidone in stable schizophrenic patients and the effect on cognitive function and symptoms.

In this single-blind, 52 week randomised controlled pilot study, patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to a step-wise reduction in dosage to a total reduction of 50% (with minimum dosages in place based on current guidelines), or to continue at their current dosage.

The main findings were that cognitive function and negative symptoms improved in the reduced dosage arm and relapse rates did not increase. This pilot study provides preliminary reassurance that dose reduction of olanzapine and risperisone for stable schizophrenic patient may be a viable and beneficial option.

Read about it in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.