The Effect of Ondansetron augmentation therapy on schizophrenia symptoms: A double-blinded randomized clinical trial

Negative symptoms treatment of schizophrenia has remained unsatisfactory, whilst positive symptoms managed more effectively. In this regard the clinicians trying to find more effective combination drugs as monotherapy or augmentation therapy. In this study aimed to assess the efficacy of ondansetron augmentation therapy on negative symptoms of schizophrenia patients. This is a parallel-randomized clinical trial conducted on ۵۰ schizophrenia patients, in Kashan city, in ۲۰۱۶-۲۰۱۷. The participants allocated to ondansetron augmentation and placebo groups. The negative symptoms measured with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) in ۰th, ۴th, ۸th and ۱۲th weeks. The effect of ondansetron assessed using repeated measure analysis. Of ۷۸% of patients were males. The mean age of patients was ۳۵.۷ ± ۷.۹ and ۳۸.۲ ± ۹.۱ for intervention and control groups. There was not between group significant differences respect to age, sex, duration and onset age of disease and PANSS baseline score. The analysis results revealed significant decline of negative symptoms in both study groups (declining negative symptom scores ۲۱.۷ to ۹.۲ in intervention group, ۲۲.۸ to ۱۲.۰ for placebo group) without significant difference between them (F=۲.۱۹, P=۰.۱۴). The augmentation therapy with ondansetron on schizophrenia patients had not enough efficacy, compare to placebo. More studies with sophisticated approaches such as factorial design with using different drugs on similar patients is recommended.

کلیدواژه ها:

Negative symptoms ، Ondansetron ، PANSS ، Schizophrenia