A Randomized Clinical Trial of Haloperidol Decanoate and... : Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology (original) (raw)

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A Randomized Clinical Trial of Haloperidol Decanoate and Fluphenazine Decanoate in the Outpatient Treatment of Schizophrenia /t>

CHOUINARD, GUY MD, MSc (PHARMACOL), FRCP(C)1,3; ANNABLE, LAWRENCE BSc, DIP STAT1,2; CAMPBELL, WAYNE MD, FRCP(C)1,2

1,3Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Allan Memorial Institute, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

1,2Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

1,2Psychiatric Research Department, Hospital Louis-H. Lafontaine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

We carried out an 8-month double-blind clinical trial comparing haloperidol decanoate with fluphenazine decanoate in the maintenance treatment of 72 schizophrenic outpatients. A parallel-groups design was used with stratification by sex and injection interval (2,3 or 4 weeks). The initial injection interval was based on pretrial maintenance treatment with fluphenazine esters. The dosage equivalency of haloperidol decanoate (1.6 cc or 76 mg) to fluphenazine decanoate (1 cc or 26 mg) used was 3:l. This remained approximately the same throughout a 2-month titration period with a flexible dose regimen, and a fhrther 6-month period with a Axed dose regimen. No statistically significant differences in therapeutic effect were found between the drugs. Both drugs had a similar profile for drug-induced parkinsonism, but there was a trend for differences in masking tardive dyskinesia. Haloperidol and prolactin plasma concentrations were well correlated with dosage, with the exception of haloperidol concentrations in patients receiving injections at 2-week intervals. (J Clin Psychopharmacol 1989;9:247–263)