Hemodynamic effects of thiothixene and chlorpromazine in schizophrenic patients at rest and during exercise

The hemodynamic effects and plasma levels of noradrenaline were studied in schizophrenic patients at rest and during exercise after long-term treatment with chlorpromazine (150-600 mg daily) and thiothixene (60-80 mg daily). The results are compared with those from previous studies in untreated patients and patients receiving very large doses of chlorpromazine. The effects of thiothixene on the different hemodynamic variables were very moderate, and the observed differences between this group and the control group may be due to the different patient materials. In the two groups of patients receiving chlorpromazine, the heart rate at rest and durng exercise tended to be higher than in the control group. There was also a tendency towards a lower stroke volume after this drug and thiothixene during exercise. The noradrenaline levels in plasma were highest after the high dose of chlorpromazine both at rest and during exercise, while they were lower after the moderate chlorpromazine dose. After thiothixene, the values were between those of the group on the low chlorpromazine dose and those of the control group.