INTERACTION OF THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS AND SI DE-EFFECTS IN PHARMACOTHERAPY OF GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDERS WITH LOW-DOSAGE FLUSPIRILENE

The present study was designed to investigate the interaction between therapeutic effects and side-effects in fluspirilene treatment of gene ralised anxiety disorders (GAD). 205 outpatients received in an open t rial 1.5mg fluspirilene per week for 6 weeks. Confirming previous repo rts of our study group fluspirilene demonstrated marked efficacy and w as generally well tolerated. However, the main finding of our study is that side effects, although rare in fluspirilene treatment, predict a n unfavourable clinical outcome. This phenomenon is integrated in a ps ychological model implying that when GAD patients are aware of side-ef fects this induces anxiety. Again anxiety gives rise to somatic sympto ms, both interacting in a forward loop. In conclusion, our data sugges t that in the sense of Heinrich (1988) fluspirilene treatment of GAD s hould be guided by paying attention to possible side effects.