In a new study, individuals with bipolar disorder experienced significant
relief of manic symptoms when treated with Risperdal (risperidone). The research was presented in December at a major U.S. psychiatry meeting.

   "Within 3 days of initiating monotherapy treatment with risperidone,
patients showed significant improvement in symptom control," said Robert
Hirschfeld, MD, professor and chair of the department of psychiatry at
the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.  "Manic symptoms can
lead to devastating consequences such as squandering family savings, break
up of marriages, and even physically dangerous behaviors."

   The multicenter, double-blind, study involved 259 patients with "bipolar
1" disorder (marked by pronounced manic symptoms requiring hospitalization). These individuals were randomly assigned to receive either 1-6 mg of Risperdal daily (average dose was 4.1 mg) or placebo for 3 weeks.  Patients' symptoms were assessed at the beginning of the research using the YMRS (Young mania rating scale, a widely accepted measurement of manic symptoms), and the primary measure of efficacy was the average change in the YMRS score by
the end of the study.

   Patients taking Risperdal in the study experienced improvements in their
YMRS scores that were significantly greater than those for individuals
who received placebo (a drop of 11.1 points for Risperdal versus a decrease of 5 for placebo).  Significant improvements were observed with Risperdal as early as day 3 and were sustained throughout the trial.

   In addition, significant symptom relief was shown using another assessment
tool, the clinicians' global impression-severity scale.  Physicians using
this device reported that individuals receiving Risperdal improved twice
as much as patients who took placebo.

   Risperdal is currently indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia.

 






 

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