An Open Trial of Glycine as an Adjunct to Neuroleptics in Chronic Treatment-Refractory Schizophrenics

Abstract

We administered glycine in fixed dosages to six male chronic schizophrenic patients concurrently treated with thiothixene or fluphenazine. These patients met DSM-III-R criteria for schizophrenia and historically demonstrated a lack of response to neuroleptics. The open trial of glycine consisted of a 1-week baseline period of observation and a 5-week trial of glycine as an adjunct to their fixed-dose neuroleptic regimen. Patients were administered a solution of 5 g of glycine dissolved in 1 ounce of water (30 ml) three times a day (15 g/day) after meals. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) was performed at baseline and weekly thereafter. Baseline BPRS scores were compared with the final BPRS for each patient