When haloperidol and midazolam were compared with olanzapine , there was some evidence the combination was superior in terms of improvement , sedation and behaviour .
There were relatively little good data and most trials are too small to highlight differences in either positive or negative effects .
Adding a benzodiazepine to other drugs does not seem to confer clear advantage and has potential for adding unnecessary adverse effects .
Sole use of older antipsychotics unaccompanied by anticholinergic drugs seems difficult to justify .
BACKGROUND Acute psychotic illness , especially when associated with agitated or violent behaviour , can require urgent pharmacological tranquillisation or sedation .
In several countries , clinicians often use benzodiazepines ( either alone or in combination with antipsychotics ) for this outcome .
OBJECTIVES To estimate the effects of benzodiazepines , alone or in combination with antipsychotics , when compared with placebo or antipsychotics , alone or in combination with antihistamines , to control disturbed behaviour and reduce psychotic symptoms .
Alprazolam as a neuroleptic adjunct in the emergency treatment of schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE While neuroleptics remain the mainstay of drug intervention in the emergency management of psychosis , a variety of agents have received study as alternatives or adjuncts to these drugs in an attempt to improve the safety and efficacy of acute treatment . The purpose s of this study were to investigate the efficacy and safety of alprazolam as a neuroleptic adjunct for schizophrenic patients in psychotic relapse and to clarify the effects of combination treatment on specific aspects of the psychotic process . METHOD Twenty-eight acutely psychotic patients with schizophrenia who were admitted to an emergency psychiatric service were r and omly assigned to treatment with either haloperidol and alprazolam or haloperidol with placebo under double-blind conditions . Drug administration lasted 72 hours . RESULTS Both groups improved significantly . The combination-treated group required significantly less medication and had 56 % fewer dystonic reactions . The addition of alprazolam was most effective for symptoms of excitement and uncooperativeness , particularly in the initial hours of treatment . CONCLUSIONS The combination of alprazolam and haloperidol seems to be the most effective for agitated patients , particularly in the first 48 hours of treatment . It may also result in fewer dystonic reactions
When haloperidol and midazolam were compared with olanzapine , there was some evidence the combination was superior in terms of improvement , sedation and behaviour .
There were relatively little good data and most trials are too small to highlight differences in either positive or negative effects .
Adding a benzodiazepine to other drugs does not seem to confer clear advantage and has potential for adding unnecessary adverse effects .
Sole use of older antipsychotics unaccompanied by anticholinergic drugs seems difficult to justify .
BACKGROUND Acute psychotic illness , especially when associated with agitated or violent behaviour , can require urgent pharmacological tranquillisation or sedation .
In several countries , clinicians often use benzodiazepines ( either alone or in combination with antipsychotics ) for this outcome .
OBJECTIVES To estimate the effects of benzodiazepines , alone or in combination with antipsychotics , when compared with placebo or antipsychotics , alone or in combination with antihistamines , to control disturbed behaviour and reduce psychotic symptoms .