Improvement of extrapyramidal symptoms following dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) administration in antipsychotic treated schizophrenia patients: A randomized, double-blind placebo controlled trial

Sex hormones and oxytocin augmentation strategies in schizophrenia: A quantitative review

“…Twenty-four randomized controlled trials were retrieved that met our inclusion criteria, investigating the efficacy of hormonal augmentation on total, positive, and negative symptoms in a total of 1149 patients (Kulkarni et al, 2001(Kulkarni et al, , 2008(Kulkarni et al, , 2010(Kulkarni et al, , 2011(Kulkarni et al, , 2014Akhondzadeh et al, 2003;Louzã et al, 2004;Nachshoni et al, 2005;Ritsner et al, 2006aRitsner et al, , 2006bRitsner et al, , 2014Strous et al, 2007;Ko et al, 2008;Marx et al, 2009Marx et al, , 2014Feifel et al, 2010;Ritsner, 2010;Pedersen et al, 2011;Usall et al, 2011;Ghafari et al, 2013;Lee et al, 2013;Modabbernia et al, 2013;Cacciotti-Saija et al, 2014;Gibson et al, 2014;Kianimehr et al, 2014) (Table 1). Multiple dosages reported within a single study are represented separately.…”

“…Four studies (Nachshoni et al, 2005;Strous et al, 2007;Ritsner et al, 2010Ritsner et al, , 2006b) could be included on DHEA augmentation, including a total of 160 male and female patients (Table 1). We found no significant difference between DHEA and placebo for total symptoms (Hedges' g = 0.04, p = 0.765; Fig.…”

“…Only one study found a side effect that was unfavorable for the augmentation group: irregular menses were reported more often in women using 0.2 mg estradiol as compared to placebo (Kulkarni et al, 2014). In other studies, the side effect profile was favorable for the augmentation group using estrogens (Louzã et al, 2004), raloxifene (Kulkarni et al, 2010), DHEA (Nachshoni et al, 2005;Ritsner et al, 2006aRitsner et al, , 2006bRitsner et al, , 2010Strous et al, 2007), or pregnenolone . For testosterone or oxytocin compared with placebo, no differences in side effects were found.…”

Improvement of Sustained Attention and Visual and Movement Skills, but Not Clinical Symptoms, After Dehydroepiandrosterone Augmentation in Schizophrenia

“…6 The second trial revealed a significant effect of DHEA administration on parkinsonism among inpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder receiving either DHEA (100 mg/d) or placebo for a period of 7 days. 7 Whereas the results of these studies were interesting, sample sizes were small, and clinical parameters investigated remain limited. Therefore, in the current study, we aimed to investigate the effect of DHEA augmentation on symptoms, neurocognitive functions, side effects, and quality of life in a new group of patients with schizophrenia in a large, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.…”

Os efeitos do estresse na função do eixo hipotalâmico-pituitário-adrenal em indivíduos com esquizofrenia

“…Studies using DHEA in addition to antipsychotic medication in already-medicated schizophrenic patients found a significant improvement in the negative, depressive and anxiety symptoms of the disease 109 . DHEA treatment has also produced improvement in extrapyramidal side-effects such as involuntary tremors associated with antipsychotic treatment 110 .…”