Delayed severe extrapyramidal disturbance following frequent depot phenothiazine administration

The authors report the occurrence of a sever striopallidal disorder in a schizophrenic patient one week after he received fluphenazine enanthate injections on an every-other-day schedule. In view of current interest in depot psychopharmaceuticals, they recommend that careful attention be given to dosage and administration schedules and to the possibility of delayed pseudoparkinsonian symptoms. Emergency room physicians should be alerted to the possible side effects of such drugs.