Pentoxifylline adjunct to risperidone for negative symptoms of stable schizophrenia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Abstract
Background: Negative symptoms of schizophrenia represent an unmet therapeutic need for many patients in whom pentoxifylline may be effective in terms of its dopaminergic, anti-inflammatory, and cerebral blood flow-increasing properties. This study aimed to evaluate pentoxifylline as a therapeutic agent for improving negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
Methods: Chronic schizophrenia outpatients experiencing significant negative symptoms were randomly allocated to receive pentoxifylline 400 mg or matched placebo every 12 hours for 8 weeks. All patients were clinically stable as they had received risperidone for at least 2 months, which was continued. The participants were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale, and side effect checklist.
Results: The patients' baseline characteristics were comparable between the groups. There was a significant time-treatment interaction effect on PANSS negative subscale scores (ηP2=0.075), with the pentoxifylline group showing significantly greater reductions until weeks 4 (Cohen d = 0.512) and 8 (Cohen d = 0.622). Also, this group showed a significantly better response by week 8. Other PANSS scores, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores, Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale scores, and side effect frequencies were comparable between the groups. Pentoxifylline showed a nonsignificant higher remission of 37.1% compared with 14.7% in the placebo…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.
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