Gradual reduction of neuroleptic drugs among chronic schizophrenics. A double-blind controlled study.

Neuroleptic drugs were gradually reduced from 25 hospitalized chronic schizophrenics while 23 such patients were maintained on matched dosages of neuroleptics. At the end of 15 weeks, 74% of the drug-reduced subjects and 80% of the drug-maintained subjects were rated to have decompensated. Drug-reduced patients decompensated while receiving a mean of 75 mg equivalent of chlorpromazine. Clinical stability was obtained at 150 mg equivalent of chlorpromazine. Twenty-six percent of the drug-reduced patients showed no signs of clinical relapse at the end of the 15-week trial and were receiving a mean of 8 mg equivalent of chlorpromazine. The results suggest that gradual and successive reductions in maintenance antipsychotic drugs can be implemented with minimal risk to the clinical status of the chronic mental patient.