Comparison of antipsychotic depot injections in the maintenance treatment of schizophrenia.

122 Schizophrenic patients treated with injections of fluphenazine ethanate, 97 with fluphenazine decanoate and 199 with flupenthixol decanoate were followed up for mean times of 41, 33 and 21 months respectively. Their progress was compared by examining reasons for discontinuing injections and outcome in three separate groups defined according to first preparation given; relating the events causing patients to discontinue injections or be readmitted to patient-months spent on each drug; and analysing reasons for inter-drug transfers 43 per cent, 24 per cent and 23 per cent respectively of these three groups of patients discontinued the injections. Severe extrapyramidal effects were most frequent with fluphenazine ethanate, intermediate with fluphenazine decanote, and least frequent frequent with flupenthixol. Lack of cooperation was rather more frequent with flupenthixol than with the other drugs. Severe depression occurred with all three. More patients on fluphenazine injections were transferred for any reason to flupenthixol than vice-versa. A case of 'irreversible' movement disorder was seen with each preparation. It is suggested that current maintenance doses of flupenthixol decanoate are too low.