Rapid tranquilization: a comparison of thiothixene with loxapine.

This 6-day study evaluated the efficacy of equivalent doses of loxapine and thiothixene for rapid tranquilization of acutely disturbed, psychotic patients. After initial tranquilization with intramuscular injections for 24 hours, 58 patients were treated for 5 days with oral medication. With both drugs, intramuscular treatment demonstrated clinically significant improvement from baseline on Clinical Global Impressions and Brief Psychiatric Rating scales; this improvement continued during the oral phase. Median time to tranquilization was significantly less with loxapine (60 minutes) than with thiothixene (95 minutes); during the oral phase, there were no significant differences between the two treatment groups. Side effects were minimal during the intramuscular phase; dystonia was most common during the oral phase.