Treating First-episode Psychosis with a Two-injection Start Regimen of Long-acting Aripiprazole in a Person with HIV
Tunahan Sun1, Lut Tamam2, Mehmet Emin Demirkol2, Caner Yeşiloğlu2
1Department of Psychiatry, Düziҫi State Hospital, Osmaniye, Turkey
2Department of Psychiatry, Ҫukurova University Medical School, Adana, Turkey
Correspondence to: Tunahan Sun
Department of Psychiatry, Düziçi State Hospital, İrfanli Mahallesi Ahmet Lütfi Dağlar Bulvarı No : 11, Osmaniye 80600, Turkey
E-mail: tunasun01@gmail.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1383-3154
*The short version of this study was presented as a poster presentation at the 60th National Psychiatry Congress held between 30 October and 3 November 2024.
Received: December 30, 2024; Revised: February 14, 2025; Accepted: February 25, 2025; Published online: March 11, 2025.
© The Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology. All rights reserved.

This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
A complex bidirectional relationship exists between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and psychotic disorders. The co-occurrence of both conditions is associated with higher morbidity and mortality than their individual occurrence. In this case report, we discuss a 36-year-old people with HIV and first-episode psychotic disorder who benefited from the two-injection start regimen of long-acting aripiprazole without side effects in the context with relevant literature. In people with HIV and psychotic symptoms, a thorough evaluation is required to exclude other known causes of psychosis. With a multidisciplinary approach, proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment can reduce morbidity and mortality as well as improve functionality and quality of life. Especially in patients with poor oral medication adherence, the use of the two-injection start regimen of long-acting aripiprazole while considering potential drug–drug interactions and extrapyramidal symptoms may improve treatment compliance and reduce the exacerbation risk of psychotic symptoms caused by medication discontinuation.
Keywords: HIV; First episode psychosis; Aripiprazole; Long-acting injectable antipsychotics; Two-injection start regimen.

This Article

e-submission

Archives