Safety of the combination of lithium and neuroleptic drugs.

A retrospective study of 60 manic patients treated with neuroleptic medications alone and 69 manic patients treated with a combination of neuroleptic drugs and lithium revealed no difference between groups in side effects and complications of treatment. Similarly, when comparisons were made between patients treated with haloperidol only and those treated with haloperidol and lithium, there were no differences in side effects and complications. The results counter sporadic clinical reports suggesting a toxic interaction between lithium and neuroleptic drugs.