Subjective response to antipsychotic drugs: failure to replicate predictions of outcome

Twenty male schizophrenic patients were given a test dose of chlorpromazine and their subjective response, graded on a syntonic-dysphoric continuum, was recorded at 4, 24, and 48 hours following the test dose. All patients were subsequently treated with an optimal dose of chlorpromazine or thioridazine plus either social skills training or holistic health therapy for a fixed inpatient period of 10 weeks. Patients were maintained on neuroleptics for a 9-month follow-up period. Subjective response to the test dose was not found to be significantly correlated to any of the outcome measures. This study's failure to replicate previously published findings that subjective response to test doses of neuroleptics predict outcome may stem from differences in patients population, treatment milieu, and compliance with drug regimen.