High dosage treatment with fluphenazine intravenously followed by depot injections in acute schizophrenia.
13 acute schizophrenics were treated for 28 days firstly with fluphenazine infusion with doses up to 180 mg on an average of 5 days followed directly by an injection of 25 mg fluphenazine decanoate, repeated after an average of 16 days. The clinical effectivity of the medium-high infusion dose and the direct changeover from infusion to depot injection was examined. No serious side effects could be seen, the changeover happened without exacerbation of symptoms. The clinical effectivity came up to the usual therapy with normal high dosage after 28 days therapy, a somewhat more rapid deliverance of symptoms during the first days remained impressive.