People with first-episode psychosis often experience ongoing symptoms and cognitive impairments while on antipsychotics. A study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry suggests that patients with first-episode psychosis who take the amino acid taurine daily along with a regular antipsychotic regimen may experience improvements in psychotic symptoms.
Taurine is found naturally throughout the body and in various foods such as fish, poultry, and dairy products, and is supplemented in energy drinks. The amino acid is known to activate GABA and glycine receptors and inhibit N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the central nervous system.
Previous studies have suggested that taurine may reduce psychotic states in some patients, but whether these benefits extend to people with first-episode psychosis was unknown.
In the current study, researchers from Donegal Mental Health Service in Ireland and the University of Melbourne examined the effectiveness of adjunctive taurine in improving symptoms and cognition in patients with first-episode psychosis. The researchers randomly assigned 86 patients aged 18 to 25 to
4 grams of taurine or placebo daily for 12 weeks. All participants had been taking antipsychotics for at least three months and continued to take them throughout the trial. Patients were evaluated using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and cognitive tests at the beginning of the study and at week 12.
The researchers found that relative to placebo, taurine resulted in significant improvements in total symptoms as well as measures of positive symptoms, depression, and general functioning over 12 weeks. There was no difference in cognitive scores between the taurine and placebo groups.
While there were no reports of serious adverse events during the trial, participants in the taurine group were significantly more likely to report symptoms of fatigue.
“Adjunctive taurine did not improve cognition, but it appears to improve psychopathology in patients with first-episode psychosis,” the authors concluded. “The optimal dosage of taurine remains an important question for future research. Given the 4-g dose was well tolerated, it is possible that greater efficacy might be achieved at higher doses.”
In a separate article describing the findings, study co-author Patrick McGorry, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Melbourne and colleagues wrote, “Our positive results provide evidence for the potential benefits of taurine as a safe, effective, complementary treatment for psychosis and possibly other mental health conditions.”
They concluded, “As this was the first study to examine the efficacy of taurine in first-episode psychosis, the findings need to be replicated in trials with other samples before it can be recommended in clinical treatment guidelines.” ■
An abstract of “Adjunctive Taurine in First-Episode Psychosis: A Phase 2, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study” can be accessed
here. “What Is Taurine and How Can It Improve Psychosis?” is available
here.
