The Real Story Behind Using Two Antipsychotics For Schizophrenia

It wasn’t that long ago when I was sitting in lectures as a first-year psychiatry resident. I learned about the first- and second-generation antipsychotic medications in detail. One commandment that was always preached in my training was to never combine two antipsychotic medications because there is no additional benefit. Today we are here to explore this idea and see if there is truly no additional benefit to using two antipsychotics and explore why there is so much antipsychotic polypharmacy in serious mental illness.  

Introduction

While all training programs preach the use of mono-therapy when it comes to the use of antipsychotics in clinical practice, the reality is up to 50% of psychiatric inpatients are receiving antipsychotic polypharmacy

Since most guidelines discourage the use of multiple antipsychotic medications, why are many psychiatrists going against these guidelines? In most cases we are just trying to stabilize patients, get them better, and keep them out of the hospital as the goal is to provide most psychiatric care in the community. To reach these goals a single medication does not always produce the desired results. 

Patients that end up on multiple antipsychotics have some unique characteristics. They tend to have more severe psychotic symptoms, are male, unemployed, and younger. Those with frequent inpatient admissions on involuntary status are also more likely to end up on two medications. 

What To Do When a Single Medication Is Not Enough?

The use of multiple antipsychotics is an area of limitted research. However, there is a difference between rational polypharmacy and irrational polypharmacy.

We should start this discussion by saying a patient should be started on monotherapy titrated to an effective dose and continued on the medication for 6 weeks prior to making a change. If the first medications fails, then switching to another medication or long acting injectable is a reasonable next step. If after another 6 weeks of treatment the patient remains unstable and symptomatic the technical next step is to start clozapine. There are many reasons why clozapine may not be a good option for a particular patient including the strict requirements for weekly complete blood cell counts CBCs.

Assuming this process is followed and the patient is still symptomatic what’s the next step?

Consider Receptor Binding Profiles

This is the first step in prescribing two medications rationally. Most first-generation medications such as Haldol will bind tightly to D2 receptors and stay bound to the sites longer. Second-generation medications like quetiapine are known to bind to the receptors and quickly dissociate giving an on-off like effect. Tight binding and longer duration of binding can lead to extrapyramidal side effects (EPS), whereas quick on-off medications like quetiapine have limitted EPS risk. 

You should also consider other receptors the medication may target such as histamine and muscarinic cholinergic receptors. It would be best to avoid combining two medications that have high antihistamine and anticholinergic activity.

Let’s look at some scenarios where antipsychotic polypharmacy makes sense. 

Patients With Acute Agitation

This is a common problem on the inpatient unit. A patient is on a low-potency quick on-off medication like quetiapine but remains symptomatic and is engaging in dangerous behavior. 

The addition of a higher potency, higher affinity medication like Haldol makes some sense here. This will control the acute agitation, can be titrated until the psychotic aggression is controlled, and can be stopped as soon as the patient is stable on quetiapine. We can see how the receptor binding profile makes this combination reasonable.

Clozapine Refractory Patients

What do you do when a patient is on the best antipsychotic medication but remains symptomatic? 

We do have several lines of evidence that we can look at for this question. One option is to add low dose risperidone. This is a similar idea to adding Haldol to quetiapine. Clozapine has lower affinity for the D2 receptor than risperidone which has much higher affinity for D2 receptors. There were two placebo-controlled trials that support this combination. Before combining medications, I would suggest obtaining a clozapine level to make sure it’s therapeutic. 

There are two more recent studies that compared multiple antipsychotic medication combinations and used rehospitalization as a measure of effectiveness. Both studies found a significant reduction in rehospitalization for patients receiving polypharmacy compared to those receiving monotherapy. The best outcome was achieved when clozapine was combined with aripiprazole

Patient is On a Long Acting Injectable (LAI) but Remains Symptomatic at the Highest Dose 

This is a common problem because the doses of LAIs are limitted. For example, the LAI aripiprazole (Aristida) is limitted to a maximum dose of 20 mg/day. The oral formulations of aripiprazole allow for a maximum dose of 30 mg/day. One strategy is to give the injection early. This will usually be done on week 3 for formulations that last 4 weeks. Another option is to add another medication with a different receptor binding profile such as the clozapine aripiprazole combination that was shown to reduce the risk of rehospitalization.

Treatment of Insomnia 

The addition of low dose quetiapine to a medication like paliperidone is common in clinical practice. Once D2 receptor blockade has been maximized by reaching an effective dose of paliperidone, considering the addition of as need (PRN) quetiapine for its low potency and sedating properties is reasonable. The medication should be used PRN only and should be removed once the insomnia has resolved. Consider a sleep study if sleep apnea is possible and using other options such as short-term orexin antagonists, melatonin, and sedating antidepressant if appropriate. 

Treatment of Antipsychotic Induced Side Effects 

I know what you are going to say, adding a medication to treat a side effect of another medication doesn’t make sense. Let’s take an example to illustrate why this makes sense. If a patient is stable on risperidone and is discovered to have an elevated prolactin level you have an obligation to address it. The addition of low dose aripiprazole has been proven to reduce prolactin levels in these cases. Another possibility is using aripiprazole to reduce the metabolic burden of medications such as clozapine. There is much more limited data in this area and I would consider metformin a much better option to start with if antipsychotic induced weight gain is a problem.

In the process of Switching Medication the Patient Achieves Remission 

This is another common clinical scenario. A patient didn’t respond to a medication, and you begin decreasing the dose of the first medication while titrating the new medicine. Then suddenly they are better. You don’t know why but they are better than they have ever been and now you are afraid to make any additional changes. Ideally you would finish the process and appropriately titrate the new medicine while discontinuing the ineffective medication. There is no good data to support inadequate dosing of two antipsychotics, and it’s best to continue your taper/titration and reevaluate after it’s complete.

Conclusion

There is still limited data to support the use of multiple antipsychotic medications although it is often seen in clinical practice. There are a few places where the addition of a second medication makes sense, and we can use receptor profiles to help us make rational decisions and avoid excess side effect burden. 

Disgraced Crypto King Sam Bankman And The Selegiline Patch 

There has been a lot of news recently about Sam Bankman, the onetime billionaire turned supervillain. At its peak, his company FTX had an in-house performance coach and psychiatrist named George K. Lerner. It’s unclear how many FTX employees Dr. Lerner treated but he did admit to treating some for ADHD and stated “the rate of ADHD at FTX was in line with most tech companies” whatever that means. I’m not here to debate the practices of the good doctor, but Bankman was known to talk publicly about experimenting with focus-enhancing medications. The main medications he allegedly used to become limitless were stimulants such as Adderall and the more interesting one to me and the topic of this week’s video the selegiline patch.

We are going to discuss selegiline in depth and try to understand why a medication primarily used to treat Parkinson’s may be useful for enhancing focus, creativity, and productivity in the fast-paced world of cryptocurrency. 

What is Selegiline?

Although many may not have heard of this medication, it’s actually a very old concept in psychiatry. A common “pimping” question in psychiatry residency is what was the first antidepressant medication? Most residents will say it was the tricyclic antidepressants which isn’t a bad guess but it’s not correct. The correct answer is the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) specifically iproniazid a failed treatment for tuberculosis. In 1952 researcher noted that patients receiving this medication became unusually happy, this was shocking considering the medication did nothing for their tuberculosis.

Transdermal selegiline is a tissue selective MAOI (MAO-A and MAO-B inhibitor in the brain) and a relatively selective MAO-B inhibitor in the gut. This is an important point, and I will explain more about it as we move through this topic. 

How Do MAOIs Work?

We are speaking about the transdermal selegiline patch here but there is also an oral version that is not approved for major depressive disorder and is a selective MAO-B inhibitor. 

The transdermal patch acts in the brain as an irreversible inhibitor of both MAO-A and MAO-B which are enzymes responsible for breaking down norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine which in turn will boost the noradrenergic, serotonergic, and dopaminergic neurotransmission. 

In lay terms this medication increases the availability of all three major neurotransmitters so that more serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine is available to act on post synaptic receptors affecting changes in cells and circuits involved in depression. 

FDA Approvals for Selegiline

This is a little complicated because news outlets have stated the medication is only used for Parkinson’s disease which is true if we are talking about the oral tablets. The transdermal patch is FDA approved for major depressive disorder. 

Off label use includes the treatment of treatment resistant depression, panic disorder, social anxiety (which MAOIs are usually superior at treating), treatment resistant anxiety, and Alzheimer’s disease. 

How to Dose Selegiline

The transdermal patch comes in various doses: 

  • 6 mg/24 hours
  • 9 mg/24 hours
  • 12 mg/24 hours 

The initial dose for depression is 6 mg/24 hours and it can be increased by 3 mg/24 hours every 2 weeks to a maximum dose of 12 mg/24 hours. Dietary modification to restrict tyramine from food sources is not required for the 6 mg/24hr patch but at higher doses the same food restrictions are required as other oral MAOIs such as phenelzine. This will be important for our next discussion on side effects. 

Side Effects of Selegiline

Before starting the medication, the patient should be aware of the potential for increased blood pressure. 

Notable Side effects include 

  • Skin reactions at the site of application (the location of the patch should be rotated daily) 
  • Headaches
  • Dry mouth 
  • Diarrhea
  • Insomnia
  • Sedation
  • Possible weight gain 

Serious side effects include: 

  • Hypertensive Crisis 
  • Seizure
  • Induction of manic episodes in bipolar disorder 

Contraindications when combined with:

  • Meperidine
  • Another MAOI 
  • SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs, tramadol 
  • Dextromethorphan
  • St. John’s wort 
  • Methadone
  • History of Pheochromocytoma 
  • Elective surgery 
  • Proven allergy to selegiline 

The Dreaded Tyramine Reaction 

I believe that MAOIs might be the most effective of the antidepressants because of their ability to affect all three major neurotransmitter circuits, but they are rarely used clinically. In most residency training programs, we are not taught to use these medications. The main barrier is the dietary restrictions and risk for hypertensive crisis if the diet is not followed. 

This diet should be started a week or so before staring the medication. It allows the patient time to get accustomed to the dietary recommendations before being on the medication when the stakes are higher. The diet must be followed for 2 weeks after stopping the MAOI as it can take time for the MAO enzymes to regenerate due to irreversible inhibition. 

Tyramine is an amino acid that is found in some foods, and it helps to regulate blood pressure. MAOIs are responsible for breaking this amino acid down so it’s inactive and unable to causes an increase in blood pressure. When you block MAO excess tyramine will be available to affect blood pressure. 

Ingestion of a high tyramine meal is generally considered to be any meal with 40 mg or more in the fasted state. For the low dose transdermal patch 6 mg/24 hours studies show that 200-400 mg of tyramine in the fasted state is required for a hypertensive response. In general, at low doses dietary modification is not required. If the dose is increased to 12 mg/24 hours than 70-100 mg of tyramine is required for a hypertensive response. Although dietary modification may not be required at higher doses, it’s safer to avoid tyramine rich foods once the selegiline dose is increased and to be cautious at lower doses as well. 

Low Tyramine Diet Principles

When a patient is on an MAOI diet they should only eat things that are fresh. This goes for food that are stored as well as the storage process may affect the tyramine content. The patient should avoid foods that are beyond their expiration date and avoid fruits and vegetables that are overly ripe. Some cheeses are allowed in the diet, but all aged cheese should be avoided. The same can be said for meat products, fresh meats are fine, but aged or spoiled meats should be avoided. 

Fermented products need to be avoided when MAOIs are being used. This goes for all fermented products without exception. 

Chinese food and some other eastern foods should be avoided because they contain soy, shrimp paste, tofu, and soy sauces all of which are high in tyramine. 

Fava and other broad beans should be avoided this includes Italian green beans. 

Foods to Avoid

  • Matured or aged cheeses (cheddar, and blue examples) 
  • Meats: fermented or dry sausages (pepperoni, salami), aged, cured, unrefrigerated, pickled, smoked meats 
  • Caviar, dried, pickled, or smoked fish 
  • Overripe avocados, fava beans, sauerkraut, fermented soya bean, and soya bean paste 
  • Overripe fruits: canned figs, banana peel, orange pulp 
  • Beverages: chianti, sherry, liquors, all tap beers, unfiltered beer containing yeast 
  • Soy products: soy sauce, tofu 
  • Other: miso soup, yeast vitamin supplements, packaged soups 

Foods That are Allowed

  • Cheeses: cream cheese, ricotta, fresh cottage cheese, mozzarella, processed cheese slices like American cheese 
  • Milk Products: yogurt, sour cream, and ice cream 
  • Meat: fresh packaged or processed meat e.g. hot dogs 
  • Beverages: coffee, tea, soda, up to a maximum of 2 drinks either 12 oz of canned or bottled beer or 4 oz of red/white wine. 
  • Soy products: soy milk 
  • Other foods: chocolate in moderation and monosodium glutamate in moderation 

Onset of Action

The therapeutic effect is usually not immediate and still requires 2-4 weeks or longer once an adequate dose is reached. 

Augmentation

For expert psychopharmacologist Only: 

  • You may consider a stimulant such as d-amphetamine, or methylphenidate while watching for increased blood pressure, suicidal ideation, and activation of bipolar disorder) 
  • Lithium
  • Seconded generation dopamine blocking medication 
  • Mood stabilizing anticonvulsant 

Advantages to using MAOIs

  • May be effective in treatment resistant depression 
  • May improve atypical depressive symptoms such as hypersomnia and hyperphagia 
  • Lower risk for weight gain and sexual side effects 

Why Would Selegiline Improve Cognitive function?

Selegiline will increase dopamine and more dopamine in the prefrontal cortex theoretically will enhance cognitive function. A lot of the research on MAOIs and cognitive enhancement come from studies in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. While promising as reported in several articles it does not appear that proper randomized controlled trials were ever conducted. If you watch my videos than you should know the risk of assuming that something that should theoretically work will also work clinically. This is the story of many medications in psychiatry. We also cannot extrapolate that to healthy individuals who do not have neurodegenerative disorders.

Selegiline is metabolized to l-amphetamine, and l-methamphetamine which are well known stimulants that may improve symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Again, this is theoretical and has never been proven but based on the metabolism of the medication it makes sense that it may enhance cognition in those with ADHD or even healthy individuals. 

People often forget that depression itself is a major reason for cognitive problems. Depression in elderly patients is sometimes referred to as pseudodementia because it can look like the individuals has substantial cognitive deficits in severe cases. It’s possible that the improvement in depressive symptoms is responsible for the enhanced cognitive function. 

Conclusion

I think this is a good discussion because it highlights an often-forgotten class of medication in modern psychiatry that can be utilized for patients who have failed other medication options. Many psychiatrists are untrained or too scared to use these medications clinically. As far as cognitive enhancement and finding that limitless pill, I do not think this is it. While it may theoretically improve cognitive function it’s never been proven in randomized controlled trials. I would say the evidence supporting this idea is weak and may even be dangerous given the risk for hypertensive crisis. 

Most Commonly Prescribed Psychiatric medications: Seroquel or Quetiapine

  • Quetiapine offers some benefits over other dopamine blocking medications. It has a much lower risk for EPS and a broad spectrum of effects. The main limitations are weight gain, sedation, and orthostasis. The extended-release formulation offers a once nightly dosing that can reduce daytime sedation. 
  • It has a number of FDA approved indications including use in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, bipolar depression, and major depression as an adjunct 
  • It’s mechanism of action is blocking dopamine D2 receptors which targets positive symptoms of psychosis and serotonin 2A receptors which enhance dopamine release in certain regions of the brain reducing motor side effects and possibly improving cognitive side effects. It’s effects on depression and bipolar depression may be related to 5HT1A partial agonist activity, norepinephrine reuptake blockade, and 5HT2C and 5HT7 antagonist properties.
  • Clinically quetiapine is often underdosed and stopped or switched before an adequate trial is completed. Higher doses generally achieve greater response for manic or psychotic symptoms. 
  • For schizophrenia start with 25 mg BID or 300 mg XR QHS. Target doses 400-800 mg/day 
  • For bipolar start with 50 mg BID or 300 XR QHS. With a target dose of 400-800 mg daily for mania and 300 mg/day for depression (studies indicate that 600 mg was not better for depression than 300 mg)
  • For depression start at 50-100 mg/day in divided doses with a target of 150-300 mg/day (data indicates that 150 mg and 300 mg do equally well so either dose is appropriate depending on patient response) 
  • You can increase the dose 50-100 mg/day every 1-4 days to a target dose 
  • The max daily dose in adults is 800 mg/day, occasionally patients may require 800-1,200 mg/day for psychosis or mania 
  • Monitoring is similar to other dopamine blocking medications, specifically fasting blood glucose and lipid profile, BMI, blood pressure 
  • Side effects include sedation, hypotension, dry mouth, dizziness, constipation, weight gain and fatigue. Watch for orthostatic hypotension at high doses or with rapid titration. There is essentially no motor side effects or prolactin elevation. 
  • For XR formulations do not crush or chew them, if a patient has been off the medication for more than 1 week you want to restart as if initial therapy. Quetiapine has some abuse potential reported in the literature particularly in incarcerated populations 
  • In the initial studies with beagle dogs cataracts developed but human studies have not shown this association 

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