Tier 2 — strong

High-dose glycine added to olanzapine and risperidone for the treatment of schizophrenia

Heresco-Levy U, Ermilov M, Lichtenberg P, Bar G, Javitt DC
Biological psychiatry 2004 55(2):165-171

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 14732596
DOI
10.1016/s0006-3223(03)00707-8
Funding
Funding was not specified in the indexed abstract; the full funding disclosure has not been verified.
Competing interests
The accessible abstract does not establish the authors' competing interests; absence of a statement is not evidence of no conflicts.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized controlled human intervention
ModelAdult humans
Sample17 adults receiving olanzapine or risperidone
InterventionAdjunctive glycine 0.8 g/kg/day versus placebo
Duration6-week crossover treatment periods
EndpointsNegative symptoms; Cognitive and positive symptoms; Serum amino acids

What the study showed, in plain terms

This small trial reported symptom improvements when high-dose glycine was added to olanzapine or risperidone. The findings should be read with both the clozapine-specific null study and the later larger CONSIST trial.

Key findings

  • Negative symptoms decreased by a reported 23% on average.
  • Selected other symptom measures also favored glycine.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Small crossover clinical sample and multiple endpoints.

The result does not establish general efficacy across antipsychotic regimens.

Related papers in the corpus

Tier 2
The Cognitive and Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia Trial (CONSIST): the efficacy of glutamatergic agents for negative symptoms and cognitive impairments
Buchanan RW et al. · The American journal of psychiatry · 2007
Tier 2
Effect of clozapine and adjunctive high-dose glycine in treatment-resistant schizophrenia
Potkin SG et al. · The American journal of psychiatry · 1999
Tier 2
Efficacy of high-dose glycine in the treatment of enduring negative symptoms of schizophrenia
Heresco-Levy U et al. · Archives of general psychiatry · 1999
Tier 2
Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of glycine adjuvant therapy for treatment-resistant schizophrenia
Heresco-Levy U et al. · The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · 1996
Tier 2
Amelioration of negative symptoms in schizophrenia by glycine
Javitt DC et al. · The American journal of psychiatry · 1994
Tier 2
Adjunctive high-dose glycine in the treatment of schizophrenia
Javitt DC et al. · The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2001

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction