Evaluations of loxapine succinate in the ambulatory treatment of acute schizophrenic episodes.

138 acutely ill schizophrenic patients were treated with oral loxapine succinate for up to 4 weeks in nine studies, all of which shared an identical protocol. These nine, open-label studies were conducted primarily in outpatient settings. For most patients, loxapine, at daily dosages of 30-80 mg, was observed to provide safe, effective, and relatively immediate symptomatic relief and, in most cases, helped to keep acutely ill schizophrenic patients out of the hospital. Side effects, which occurred in 95 patients, were mostly mild and controllable and consisted mainly of extrapyramidal effects.