A DOUBLE-BLIND COMPARISON OF CLONAZEPAM AND PLACEBO IN THE TREATMENT OF NEUROLEPTIC-INDUCED AKATHISIA

The present study was designed to investigate the efficacy of clonazep am in neuroleptic-induced akathisia. Twelve patients were treated duri ng 2 weeks with clonazepam or placebo in a double-blind randomized des ign. Akathisia was scored by an independent rater before and after tre atment, as well as 1 week after medication withdrawal. Clonazepam (0.5 -2.5 mg/day) induced a significantly higher reduction in the akathisia scores than placebo (p < 0.05). One week after stopping the drug, the re was a partial but significant relapse in the treated group as compa red with controls, in whom the symptoms remained stable. In addition, the clinical improvement was significantly correlated with the daily d ose of clonazepam (r(s) = 0.827; p < 0.002). These results support the potential usefulness of clonazepam in the treatment of neuroleptic-in duced akathisia and suggest an optimal daily dose in the range of 10-4 0 mu g/kg.