The dose-effect relationship of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 mg fluspirilene on anxious patients

To investigate the dose-effect relationship, 106 patients received for 6 weeks under double-blind conditions randomly either 0.5 (n = 35), 1.0 (n = 35) or 1.5 mg (n = 36) fluspirilene per per week. Two patients dropped out. The main result of this study was the verification of a clear dose-effect relationship. There is a difference between all three dosage groups after 6 weeks. Improvement with 0.5 mg fluspirilene was far more seldom (17 of 35) than with 1.0 mg (25 of 33) and very much more frequent with 1.5 mg (30 of 36). This was confirmed with the three scales of the Hamilton Anxiety Scale. The clear dose-effect relationship was also shown on the subjective 'Eigenschaftswörterliste' scales of elation, self-confidence, introversion, anxiety, vulnerability and depression. The tolerance of all doses in this study was good and did not differ. Nevertheless, the findings from earlier studies were reproduced, according to which a poorer tolerance is combined with a poorer therapeutic efficacy. It was worked out in the discussion that patients who improved subjectively and according to the physician's assessment after 14 days of treatment also showed a good response after a longer period of treatment.