Toxic psychosis induced by phenothiazine administration in patients with chronic renal failure

Adverse reactions to phenothiazines have not been commonly recognized in patients with chronic renal failure. We wish to report a characteristic acute psychosis as a complication of phenothiazine use in such individuals. Four patients with chronic renal failure requiring hemodialysis were given doses of chlorpromazine ranging from 100--1000 mg over time intervals varying from 2--7 days. All developed extreme restlessness, auditory and visual hallucinations, and episodes of belligerent behavior. A fifth patient treated with promethazine developed a similar psychosis. Each became ill shortly after the initiation of phenothiazine therapy. All improved slowly after cessation of the drug. Hemodialysis in four patients did not appear to affect the course of the illness. The use of phenothiazines in patients with chronic renal failure is cautioned.