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Maintenance Therapy While there is no body of evidence available to answer the question of how long the schizophrenic patient treated with RISPERDAL ® should remain on it, the effectiveness of RISPERDAL ® 2 mg/ day to 8 mg/ day at delaying relapse was demonstrated in a controlled trial in patients who had been clinically stable for at least 4 weeks and were then followed for a period of 1 to 2 years. In this trial, RISPERDAL ® was administered on a QD schedule, at 1 mg QD initially, with increases to 2 mg QD on the second day, and to a target dose of 4 mg QD on the third day ( see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY Clinical Trials) . Nevertheless, patients should be periodically reassessed to determine the need for maintenance treatment with an appropriate dose. Reinitiation of Treatment in Patients Previously Discontinued
Although there are no data to specifically address reinitiation of treatment, it is recommended that when restarting patients who have had an interval off RISPERDAL ® , the initial titration schedule should be followed. Text Continues Below
Switching From Other Antipsychotics There are no systematically collected data to specifically address switching schizophrenic patients from other antipsychotics to RISPERDAL ® , or concerning concomitant administration with other antipsychotics. While immediate discontinuation of the previous antipsychotic treatment may be acceptable for some schizophrenic patients, more gradual discontinuation may be most appropriate for others. In all cases, the period of overlapping antipsychotic administration should be minimized. When switching schizophrenic patients from depot antipsychotics, if medically appropriate, initiate RISPERDAL ® therapy in place of the next scheduled injection. The need for continuing existing EPS medication should be re-evaluated periodically. Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Next >>
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