[Evaluation of effectiveness and tolerance of the long-term treatment with bromoperidol decanoate in psychotic disorders].

An open study in 20 patients (7 M, 13 F, mean age 40 years) has been performed in order to evaluate the effectiveness and the safety of bromperidol decanoate in the long-term treatment of psychotic disorders. Patients were selected according to DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria (schizophrenia, residual type: 6 patients; disorganized type: 4; paranoid type: 5; undifferentiated type: 2; atypical psychosis: 3) and treated with bromperidol decanoate 150 mg i.m. (single administration) every month for 6 months. The BPRS scores significantly decreased at the end of the therapy with respect to the beginning (-39.5%; p less than 0.01 Friedman analysis between times); this improvement was already significant at the first month control. The results obtained from a clinical global impression, evaluated from the Visual Analogical Scale (VAS), showed that all patients improved at the end of the therapy (p less than 0.01 ANOVA between times). The side effects, mainly extrapyramidal ones, were mild and did not interfere with the therapy; in fact none patient dropped-out from the treatment. Bromperidol decanoate showed to have a good efficacy and safety in the therapy of psychotic disorders, with a stabilizing effect on the depressive mood.