Comparative study of the effectiveness of zuclopenthixol acetate and haloperidol in acutely disturbed psychotic patients

Abstract

Objectives: To study the effectiveness, frequency of administration and side effects of zuclopenthixol acetate (ZPTA) and haloperidol (HAL) in the treatment of acute psychotic disturbance with aggression. Method: Purposive sampling method was employed in a group of psychotic patients with aggression admitted to Songkla Neuropsychiatric Hospital, they were randomly divided into 2 groups: ZPTA group and HAL group. All of the patients were evaluated daily for 7 consecutive days using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI). Statistical analysis was performed by using the Student t-test and Linear regression. Results: There were 70 patients with diagnosis of schizophrenia, mania and acute psychosis. Thirty-eight patients were randomly assigned to the ZPTA group and were given 50-100 mg of the drug, while 32 patients received HAL 5-10 mg. The result showed a significant reduction in BPRS or CGI scores in both groups. Patients treated with ZPTA required less frequent administration than did those on HAL (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the reduction in scores between the two groups. Nor was there a statistical difference in reduction of aggression based on BPRS rating. Each group of patients showed a few side effects of mild degree. Conclusion: Both ZPTA and HAL were effective in the treatment of acute psychosis with aggression, but frequency of administration was lower in the ZPTA group.