TRIFLUOPERAZINE : A REPORT OF A CLINICAL TRIAL IN BACK WARD PSYCHOTIC PATIENTS

The double blind method would not have been useful in this study because of the frequency of extra-pyramidal side reactions, and the 10-22 year period of hospitalization of the patients with various therapy regimens. Therefore, the patients served as their own controls. It was found that the largest number of patients improved over approximately 6 weeks, and steady improvement was noticeable in the remainder of the patients when the drug was continued. This drug is useful in chronic psychotic patients. There were no noticeable urinary or hematological side effects, or variations in blood pressure.

As compared to the other, tranquilizers, trifluoperazine exerted a more appropriate and definitive controlling effect on aberrant behavior. As reported elsewhere, it was found to be noticeably more beneficial in the chronic back ward patients than other phenothiazines and serpentina derivatives; it permitted the utilization of other therapeutic techniques and rehabilitation and re-socialization regimens(1, 2, 3). The Rauwolfias and phenothiazines, alone or in combinations, frequently produced indifference as contrasted to the freely outgoing and attentive behavior produced by trifluoperazine. The seclusion hours were appreciably reduced. The least amount of beneficial effect was in the lobotomized patient. Patients were noticeably motivated toward ward and ancillary therapies. The improvement in all cases described is purely symptomatic. Most of the patients who were actively hallucinated continued to experience these phenomena, although apparently seemed less motivated to act upon them(4).

The drug is found to be worthwhile, and further study is warranted to avoid drawing definite and final conclusions from this simple clinical trial.