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Trials of Lithium, Chlorpromazine and Amitriptyline in Schizoaffective Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

I. F. Brockington
Affiliation:
University Hospital of South Manchester, West Didsbury, Manchester 20
R. E. Kendell
Affiliation:
Edinburgh University
J. M. Kellett
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital, London
S. H. Curry
Affiliation:
London Hospital Medical School
S. Wainwright
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London

Summary

Two drug trials in schizoaffective patients are reported. Nineteen ‘schizomanic’ patients were treated for one month, on a double blind basis, with chlorpromazine or lithium and 41 ‘schizodepressive’ patients with amitriptyline, chlorpromazine or both.

In the schizodepressive patients there was a trend to a better response to chlorpromazine, but drug response generally was poor, only 20 per cent of patients recovering within the month. In the schizomanic patients lithium seemed as effective as chlorpromazine, which supports the view that these patients were suffering from a variant of mania.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1978 

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