Anecdotal evidence tends to favour olanzapine in the treatment of hallucinations in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders; however, no conclusive evidence is available on this topic. We report here a clinical case in which a 46-year-old man, suffering from a schizoaffective disorder (depressed type), underwent olanzapine treatment (20 mg/day). After inducing an initial amelioration, the patient had a re-exacerbation of auditory hallucinations and a clinical and psychosocial worsening, which subsided after olanzapine discontinuation. Olanzapine may induce a worsening of hallucinations in a psychotic disorder with substantial affective component and therefore its use should be carefully evaluated in such cases.
Add-on oral olanzapine worsens hallucinations in schizoaffective disorder / Volpe, U; Vignapiano, A; Gallo, O; Fabrazzo, M.. - In: BMJ CASE REPORT. - ISSN 1757-790X. - (2014). [10.1136/bcr-2014-205805]
Add-on oral olanzapine worsens hallucinations in schizoaffective disorder
Volpe U;
2014-01-01
Abstract
Anecdotal evidence tends to favour olanzapine in the treatment of hallucinations in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders; however, no conclusive evidence is available on this topic. We report here a clinical case in which a 46-year-old man, suffering from a schizoaffective disorder (depressed type), underwent olanzapine treatment (20 mg/day). After inducing an initial amelioration, the patient had a re-exacerbation of auditory hallucinations and a clinical and psychosocial worsening, which subsided after olanzapine discontinuation. Olanzapine may induce a worsening of hallucinations in a psychotic disorder with substantial affective component and therefore its use should be carefully evaluated in such cases.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.