Effects of naltrexone on mannerisms and water imbalance in polydipsic schizophrenics: a pilot study.

In an open design, the opiate antagonist, naltrexone (25 mg bid), was added for six weeks to the neuroleptic regimen of seven inpatient polydipsic hyponatremic schizophrenics. Mannerisms and diurnal weight change improved slightly, the latter probably not as a consequence of diminished intake alone. Further studies are needed to clarify if stereotypies and polydipsia are modulated by endogenous opiates, and if opiate antagonists are of therapeutic value in this population.