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The effects of long term administration of psychotrophic drugs on human sleep: IV. The effects of chlorpromazine

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Abstract

This paper reports on the effects of the daily administration of chlorpromazine (50 mg) to normal young males. Effects on laboratory recorded sleep, home sleep, and mood were studied.

Chlorpromazine significantly increased total sleep and decreased waking, especially on the first days, but to some extent throughout administration. Slow-wave sleep, D-time, and the stages of sleep considered individually were unchanged. Chlorpromazine had considerable effects on home sleep and mood variables. Some subjects clearly disliked chlorpromazine at this dose, and this was reflected by significant increases in the tension-anxiety, anger-hostility, and fatigue factors of the Psychiatric Out-patient Mood Scale (POMS). Overall what was most striking was the lack of effect on laboratory sleep measures in view of the effects on mood and home sleep reports.

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This work was supported in part by National Institute of Mental Health Grant # MH 14520.

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Hartmann, E., Cravens, J. The effects of long term administration of psychotrophic drugs on human sleep: IV. The effects of chlorpromazine. Psychopharmacologia 33, 203–218 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00423056

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