Abstract
An open study of pimozide was performed on fifty-one patients suffering from chronic schizophrenia. Pimozide was substituted for previous neuroleptic therapy. The dose was gradually increased until an optimum level was reached. This was then maintained for two months. It was found that 77% of those patients with a duration of illness of more than five years and 76% of those with a duration of illness of less than five years could be satisfactorily maintained on pimozide. Side-effects were observed in two patients. One had extrapyramidal symptoms and the other a gastro-intestinal disturbance. The results of this trial suggest that pimozide was well tolerated and was, to a limited extent, effective in producing improvement in the social status of the patient. The ability of pimozide to improve ‘sociability’ warrants further investigation.
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