Fluphenazine decanoate: a clinical problem?

The authors compared the medical records of 20 randomly selected schizophrenic patients who were receiving fluphenazine decanoate with the records of 20 other randomly selected schizophrenic patients who were receiving oral medications only. The fluphenazine decanoate group had a significantly higher mean chlorpromazine equivalent dose (2010 +/- 836) than the oral medication group (373 +/- 384). The two groups did not, however, differ on any of the other variables studied. The findings, in addition to reports in the literature, suggest that the use of fluphenazine decanoate may come at the inadvertent cost of a significantly higher dose of antipsychotic medications in a subgroup of patients.