ABSTRACT
In the absence of knowledge about the precise pathophysiology of schizophrenia, pharmacological treatments have been limited to symptoms. Although the reduction of positive symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions are important, particularly when they intrude on self-care or interactions with other people, there is growing appreciation of the importance of treating other symptom domains such as negative symptomatology, cognitive function, and persistent aggressive behavior. In this context, clinicians routinely turn to augmentation strategies when faced with the observation that antipsychotic monotherapy can be inadequate for many patients with schizophrenia. Prime medication candidates for use in combination with antipsychotics are those agents with a different mechanism of action so that there is the possibility of pharmacodynamic synergy, perhaps leading to a faster, better, or more sustainable therapeutic response. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and lithium, medications used for bipolar disorder, are also commonly used in combination with antipsychotics to treat schizophrenia.
