The immediate effects of chlorpromazine in newly admitted schizophrenic patients

To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of chlorpromazine in comparison with placebo over a brief period of hospitalization, the authors conducted a double-blind study of the drug in 44 acutely ill schizophrenic patients. These patients had been newly admitted to a brief treatment unit where the average length of stay was 7 to 10 days. The results of this study indicate that chlorpromazine had no more calming or antipsychotic effect than placebo during the first 5 days of treatment. The authors suggest that 5 days is too short a time for a clinical trial to gauge patient response to chlorpromazine.