Inhaled loxapine for agitation in patients with personality disorder: an initial approach

Inhaled Loxapine (IL) has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of agitation in schizophrenic and bipolar patients, although data in patients with Personality Disorder (PD) are scarce. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of IL in the treatment of agitation in PD, data from 41 patients who presented at our unit with acute agitation and were treated with 9.1 mg of IL were collected retrospectively. The results showed that IL significantly decreased agitation within 10 minutes and its effect was greater at 20 minutes (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale-excited component: from 22.78 ± 4.39 at baseline to 11.14 ± 4.17 at 20 minutes; p < 0.001; Agitation and Calmness Evaluation Scale: from 1.80 ± 0.49 at baseline to 4.53 ± 1.05 at 20 minutes; p < 0.01) without any severe adverse reactions registered. IL led to fast, safe and well-tolerated control of agitation in patients with PD.