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Clinical response and plasma haloperidol levels in schizophrenia

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Abstract

Plasma haloperidol levels were compared to clinical response during the first 14 days of drug treatment in 14 DSM III-diagnosed inpatient schizophrenic patients using an improved methodology, which utilized predetermined constant dosages and derived a therapeutic range of plasma haloperidol levels from a curvilinear regression analysis. An inverted U-shaped relationship was found which reflected a significant curvilinear correlation (r=0.66, P<0.02) between plasma levels (as assayed by gas chromatography) and improvement on the Serial New Haven Schizophrenia Index. A therapeutic window was suggested by the present study, with optimum patient response associated with plasma haloperidol levels of 4.2–11.0 ng/ml for the first 2 weeks of treatment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. VA Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Michael L. Mavroidis, Donald R. Kanter & David L. Garver

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Michael L. Mavroidis, Jack Hirschowitz & David L. Garver

  3. Psychology Department, Univerity of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Donald R. Kanter

  4. University Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Jack Hirschowitz

  5. Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    David L. Garver

Authors
  1. Michael L. Mavroidis
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  2. Donald R. Kanter
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  3. Jack Hirschowitz
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  4. David L. Garver
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Mavroidis, M.L., Kanter, D.R., Hirschowitz, J. et al. Clinical response and plasma haloperidol levels in schizophrenia. Psychopharmacology 81, 354–356 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00427577

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00427577

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