Reduction of Anticholinergic Medications Among Persons With Schizophrenia or Other Psychiatric Disorders

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Schizophenia Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Psychiatric Disorders

In brief

The goal of this study is to reduce Anticholinergic Medication (ACM) in persons with psychoses or serious mental illness, when these medications are no longer needed.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07043803

Run by

University of Pittsburgh

People needed

53

Starts

2025-07-16

Expected to finish

2026-05-31

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-04

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• are 18 years or older
• have a chart DSM V diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum or schizoaffective or bipolar disorder or any other mental illness disorder
• have received ACM and antipsychotic medications for 6 months or more
• are considered to be clinically stable (by the patient's healthcare team) for 3 months or more
• the ACM (e.g. benztropine and/or trihexyphenidyl) is being used to treat EPS associated with antipsychotic medications.
• on an examination using the modified Simpson-Angus Extrapyramidal Symptoms Scale (head dropping and leg pendulousness items are dropped), no single item rated at 3 or 4.
• able and willing to sign the approved informed consent document.

You may not qualify if…

• patients with ongoing Parkinsonian symptoms who require ACM meds for countering EPS side effects based on the Simpson-Angus Scale score cutoffs.
• if the clinicians treating the potentially eligible patients consider them to be clinically unstable or if drug-addiction is the focus of treatment and participation in ACM de-prescription protocols is considered risky, the team will defer to the treating clinicians to exclude participants.
• The same exclusions will apply to those persons undergoing medical procedures and treatments that make participation in this ACM deprescription trial unwise per the treating team.

Where it is running

• Western Behavioral Health of the Alleghenies — Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States
• UPMC Western Behavioral Health at Safe Harbor — Erie, Pennsylvania, United States
• Western Behavioral Health Mon Yough — McKeesport, Pennsylvania, United States
• Comprehensive Recovery Services (Pittsburgh) of Western Psychiatric Hospital, Ambulatory Clinics and Residential Programs - UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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