Antipsychotic plasma levels in treatment-resistant schizophrenia

Patients were receiving: olanzapine, aripiprazole, amisulpride, risperidone, quetiapine, sulpiride and haloperidol. Just over one-third (35%) of the total sample had subtherapeutic antipsychotics plasma levels, including 12% of patients who had undetectable levels. Rates of hospitalization were higher in individuals with a subtherapeutic plasma level (31% vs 11%).

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/depression/clinically-relevant-developments-psychiatry/page/0/1

So 35% of people who are treatment resistant may in fact not be treatment resistant.

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That’s what it sounds like.

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Doesn’t smoking reduce the effectiveness of meds? Same with energy drinks?

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I doubt plasma levels have much to do with it. People can be on massive antipsychotic doses and still be treatment resistant. It has crossed my mind though that people who are treatment resistant don’t seem to be affected by antipsychotics much, and they don’t seem to get much side effects.