EPA-1128 – Long-acting second-generation antipsychotics: Improving subjective experience of pharmacological treatment and quality of life

Introduction Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics have been used as an alternative to oral antipsychotic formulations. Aims to evaluate the impact of switching to a LAI second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) in terms of changes in patient's psychopathology, subjective experience of drug and quality of life. Methods 18 adult outpatients diagnosed with Schizoaffective disorder (by means of the SCID-I/P) and attending the Psychiatric Unit of the University of Florence were recruited. All patients were under a stabilized therapy with a single oral SGA (either olanzapine or paliperidone) and were switched to its corresponding LAI formulation (olanzapine pamoate or paliperidone palmitate). Patients were assessed by means of the following questionnaires: MADRS, YMRS, PANSS, DAI-10, SWN and SF-36 at enrolment (T0) and after 6 months (T1). Results A significant reduction was found between T0 and T1 (p Conclusions Treatment with LAI SGAs seems to be a valid alternative in patients with Schizoaffective disorder. Our preliminary data suggest an improvement in patient's subjective experience of pharmacological therapy and health-related quality of life, together with a similar efficacy on psychopathology.