To assess how effective paliperidone is for psychotic symptoms of patients with HIV/AIDS and to assess neuropsychiatric, liver and metabolic side effects associated with paliperidone.

The participants were 9 patients with HIV/AIDS who had psychotic symptoms. These patients were assessed with the brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS), and the cut-off point was 21. Neurocognitive impairment was assessed with the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), using a cut-off point of 28. Hemathological tests serum transaminases were performed to determine liver function and metabolic syndrome study was implemented as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program. All patients started taking medication with paliperidone up to 3-9 mg/kg. After a one, three and six-month period of treatment, the patients were reassessed using UKU side-effect rating scale, BPRS, hemathological tests and a full metabolic symdrome study.

Paliperidone is an effective antipsychotic drug: only one patient had psychotic symptoms. Paliperidone didn’t cause any side-effect in none of the nine patients, had a good profile of tolerance regarding liver function, any patient suffered changes in hemathological tests serum transaminases and there wasn’t any significant change in metabolic parameters of the nine patients. Any patient suffered cognitive impairment using MMSE.

Paliperidone can be considered a highly effective treatment for patients with psychotic symptoms and HIV/AIDS. This drug has a good antipsychotic profile, doesn’t affect liver function, doesn’t cause neuropsychiatric side-effects and doesn’t cause metabolic syndrome after a six-month treatment. These findings support this drug as first choice treatment of this kind of patients.