High vs standard dosage fluphenazine HCL in acute schizophrenia.

This rater blind project compared the efficacy and safety of using an oral rapid or neuroleptization method (maximum 80 mg./day) versus fixed standard dosage (20 mg./day) fluphenazine, a commonly used neuroleptic. There were 32 hospitalized, acutely decompensated schizophrenic patients in the experiment; the study period for each patient was a maximum of 7 days. The data were collected using the Benjamin Proverb Test and rating scales for psychopathology and adverse effects. Data analysis by means of the analysis of covariance demonstrated few significant differences between the 2 treatment methods: both methods produced a similar reduction in psychopathological symptoms and incidence of adverse effects. The authors conclude that the rapid neuroleptization method is not superior to the fixed standard dosage method in treating acute schizophrenia.