Ursodeoxycholic acid augmentation in treatment-refractory schizophrenia: a case report

BACKGROUND: Treatment-resistance is recognized as a significant dilemma in schizophrenia, which has been reported to involve approximately one-third of patients with schizophrenia. CASE PRESENTATION: This case report described a 12-week treatment course for a 39-year-old Persian man with treatment-refractory schizophrenia, who showed a significant improvement in terms of positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms after taking ursodeoxycholic acid 300 mg capsules twice a day. Also, ursodeoxycholic acid was well tolerated, and he did not exhibit any side effects during treatment, based on interview and physical examination. CONCLUSION: Ursodeoxycholic acid augmentation seems to be an effective treatment strategy for patients with treatment-refractory schizophrenia. However, further investigations in this field need to be carried out through randomized controlled trials.