Medications for Different Domains of Schizophrenia

Most individuals, when asked to think about schizophrenia, think about positive symptoms, like hallucinations and delusions. Gustavo Alva, MD, DFAPA, encourages us to think beyond those positive hallmarks of schizophrenia.

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia, like asociality, alogia, and blunted affect, ultimately stymie the way individuals communicate and socialize. Additional symptomatology, such as cognitive symptoms, excitability, and irritability, greatly affect a patient's day-to-day life. That is why we need different medications to address different domains, shared Alva.

"It is nice having medications that do not just address 1 core problem, but actually have a nice effect across different domains," shared Alva.

These medications include Cobenfy (xanomeline and trospium chloride), the first drug with a novel mechanism for schizophrenia in decades. You can hear more from Alva about Cobenfy in the video, "Educating Patients About Cobenfy for the Treatment of Schizophrenia," here.

If you are interested in learning more about cross-tapering onto Cobenfy, watch Alva's other video, "A Clinical Challenge: Transitioning Patients to Cobenfy," here.

Dr Alva is a board-certified psychiatrist, a paid consultant of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc, and Lundbeck, and Mood Disorders Section Editor for Psychiatric Times.