Journal of clinical psychopharmacology
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J Clin Psychopharmacol · Dec 1999
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialAcute mania: haloperidol dose and augmentation with lithium or lorazepam.
Antipsychotic dosing for acute mania has not been well studied. Combined treatment with lithium and an antipsychotic is the most common treatment, but additional antimanic efficacy of a lithium-antipsychotic combination beyond that of an antipsychotic alone has not been well demonstrated. Furthermore, the possibility that lithium could affect antipsychotic dose requirement is believed to have never been studied. ⋯ All treatment effects emerged by the fourth day of treatment and persisted. Used alone, a haloperidol dose of 5 mg/day is too low for most manic patients, but concomitant lithium produces a dose-dependent enhancement of haloperidol response. Lorazepam 4 mg/day was insufficient to produce an advantage when added to low-dose haloperidol.