Relative efficacy of parenteral haloperidol and thiothixene for the emergency treatment of acutely excited and agitated patients

Abstract

In this double-blind study, haloperidol (n = 15) and thiothixene (n = 15), administered parenterally in emergency rooms and outpatient facilities to 30 acutely excited, agitated psychotic patients in hourly doses of 4 mg. or 8 mg., as needed over a four-hour period (total dosage ranging from 4 to 32 mg.), achieved rapid tranquilization in 30 patients. Significant improvement was shown over a six-hour period on BPRS Total Score, the four factors--Thinking Disorder, Anergic state, Excitement and Disorientation, and Depression and also on hourly ratings of 17 symptoms of a Psychiatric Target Symptom Profile. No significant differences were found between the haloperidol-treated and thiothixene-treated groups. Few adverse reactions were noted, all of them mild, the most frequent being drowsiness in six patients.