TOLEDO, Ohio —
A treatment option that serves as an alternative to daily pills for mental health patients is becoming more and more popular.
"I have definitely found my patients have asked for long-acting injectables more than they had previously," Dr. Alyse Stolting, staff psychiatrist at the Zepf Center said.
Long-acting injectables are typically the same medications that patients take in pill form, but they're injected in those experiencing mental illnesses, like schizophrenia.
Stolting said an injection can last months, cutting out the need for a daily oral pill.
Patients using the treatment report to the facility for the shot.
"A lot of times it is because of the ability to monitor symptoms to improve their overall quality of life, "Stolting said. "And really, when you look at it, not have a daily reminder that they are ill or that something is wrong."
The treatment isn't new, but the benefits are being talked about more now.
Interim medical director of the Zepf Center, Dr. Chandani Lewis, said it reduces the risk of relapse and side effects.
"There's no troughs and valleys as much. It's so smooth," Lewis said. "So potentially, that means the efficacy is much better. Side effects are less. That means the tolerability is better."
Lewis explained that it's also not uncommon for patients to forget to take a treatment pill or to just skip it altogether.
She said this treatment eliminates that issue.
"If you are a practicing psychiatrist, that's the first thing we wonder – has a patient really taken the dose as prescribed versus medication is not working," Lewis said.
Even the local court system is hearing more about it.
A Lucas County prosecutor told WTOL 11 long-acting injectables are being brought up more in court, even by defendants looking to create more stable futures.
"I've had several patients that have been able to go back to work to be able to improve their family relationships as a result of being on long-acting injectables," Stolting said.