March 16, 2018 | Editorial Board | View Online | Psychiatric News

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

A 37-year-old woman with schizophrenia is brought to the clinic by her mother. She has a history of five hospitalizations in the last 7 years for severe psychotic symptoms in the setting of nonadherence to oral medications. You consider using risperidone long-acting injectable (LAI) and propose a treatment plan to the team. The patient has not used risperidone in the past. What is your plan for initiation of this medication?

A. Initial injection of risperidone LAI 25 mg intramuscularly today without oral medication.

B. Initial treatment with risperidone oral for two weeks and then switch to LAI.

C. Initial treatment with risperidone oral until tolerability is established and continued for three weeks after LAI is administered.

D. Initial treatment with risperidone oral and LAI today for two weeks, then LAI monotherapy.

E. Initial treatment with risperidone LAI today with plan to titrate LAI dose weekly to desired efficacy.