Although there is often a marked improvement in symptoms during the first week of treatment , the full benefit of a drug regimen will occur gradually over a six-week period. Therefore, frequent dosage adjustments may result in unnecessary increases. If a patient dose not respond , a trial of medication from a different drug class is warranted .
Medication non-compliance remains a major problem despite careful monitoring by psychiatrists and others. Use of community support and families can increase compliance. Consideration should be given to depot medication (haloperidol, fluphenazine, or risperidone) for patients who repeatedly relapse due to non-compliance.