Monthly intermittent chemotherapy of chronic schizophrenic outpatients with pipothiazine palmitate.

Abstract

A long-term open study of a new sustained action neuroleptic was undertaken in 23 chronic schizophrenic outpatients. Pipothiazine palmitate (R.P. 19,552) was administered by intramuscular injection at an average dose of 100 mg every four weeks. Psychiatric assessments revealed that the drug provided good control of psychotic symptomatology, and there were indications that patients responded better to the test medication than they did to their standard oral antipsychotic maintenance therapy. Extensive laboratory and functional tests demonstrated that the drug is well tolerated. Local tolerance at the site of injection was also satisfactory. Side effects were generally not serious and included primarily somnolence, tremor, akathisia and blurring of vision. A few patients became more depressed but were easily controlled by a tricyclic medication; while somewhat surprisingly others appeared to show an improvement of certain depressive manifestations. As the drug demonstrated its capacity to control psychotic symptoms with low dosages over an extended period of time, it is suggested that a double-blind study comparing this drug with other neuroleptics is warranted. It appears that pipothiazine palmitate may be an efficient form of maintenance therapy for ambulatory patients. In some patients intermittent therapy with pipothiazine palmitate would offer a viable alternative to continuous high-dosage oral medication.