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Dosage of Haloperidol for Mania

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Arthur Rifkin*
Affiliation:
Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, and Department of Psychiatry, Elmhurst Hospital Center Affiliation, of the Mount Sinai Medical Center, Elmhurst, NY
Seshagiri Doddi
Affiliation:
Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Department of Psychiatry, Elmhurst Hospital Center Affiliation, of the Mount Sinai Medical Center
Basawaraj Karajgi
Affiliation:
Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Department of Psychiatry, Elmhurst Hospital Center Affiliation, of the Mount Sinai Medical Center
Michael Borenstein
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, Hillside Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Glen Oaks, NY
Ralph Munne
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Elmhurst Hospital Center Affiliation, of the Mount Sinai Medical Center
*
Prof. A. Rifkin, Attending Psychiatrist, Hillside Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Glen Oaks, NY 11004, USA

Extract

Background

We compared three doses of a neuroleptic as a treatment for mania.

Method

Forty-seven newly admitted in-patients with mania were randomised to receive 10, 30, or 80 mg a day of oral haloperidol, under double-blind conditions for up to six weeks. All subjects received prophylactic benztropine.

Results

Repeated-measures analysis of variance and survival analysis showed no difference in outcome by the different doses. Excluding drop-outs (38%), most of whom left the study during the first two weeks, 72% of the subjects responded. Side-effects were minimal; there were no differences among the three doses. Non-responders received more adjunctive lorazepam than responders.

Conclusions

The limited data suggest that more than 10 mg a day of haloperidol offers no advantage in mania.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1994 

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