Evaluation of the Effect of Alkaloid Berberine on the Positive and Negative Symptoms of the Patients with Schizophrenia: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric condition that affects approximately 1% of the global population. Over the last decade, the efficacy of berberine as a complementary therapy in psychiatric diseases without significant side effects has been demonstrated. Therefore, this study assessed the effect of alkaloid berberine on the positive and negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. From December 2020 to March 2021, a total of 86 patients with schizophrenia who were referred to Shiraz Ebne Sina Hospital in South of Iran were divided into two groups; 42 patients with schizophrenia in the placebo group received risperidone at a dosage of 4-6 mg per day, and 44 patients in the treatment group, in addition to risperidone, received berberine at a dosage of 500 mg per day. This treatment regimen was followed for 30 days. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess the patients’ symptoms. According to data analysis, The PANSS score in both groups showed a statistically significant decrease after 30 days (p < 0.05); however, this decreasing trend was not statistically significant between the groups (p > 0.05). The current study showed that complementary use of alkaloid berberine capsule with a dose of 500 mg per day did not show better outcomes compared with the placebo in patients with schizophrenia.