Abnormal symptoms, signs, and laboratory tests during treatment with phenothiazine derivatives

Abstract

Complications were neither frequent nor severe in 599 newly admitted schizophrenie patients treated for 12 weeks with chlorpromazine, triflupromazine, mepazine, prochlorperazine, perphenazine, and phenobarbital. Twelve patients were dropped from treatment because of adverse symptoms or signs, 5 because of hematologic abnormalities, and 4 because of deviant hepatic tests.Many abnormal symptoms and signs generally thought to be associated with phenothiazine drug therapy also occurred during treatment with phenobarbital. Leucopenia was not significantly more frequent from phenothiazines than from phenobarbital. No significant differences in abnormal hepatic tests were noted between the 6 agents. Most abnormal tests wem isolated alld spomdic. No frank case of intrahepatic obstructive jaundice was observed. Changes in body temperature, pulse rate, and blood pressure were uncommon, with no significant differences in frequency between the drug regimens.Not all abnormalities in symptoms, signs, and laboratory tests which occurred during treatment can be attributed to it. At least some must be spontaneous fluctuations in the population studied.