DOUBLE-BLIND COMPARISON OF RISPERIDONE AND HALOPERIDOL IN SCHIZOPHRENIC AND SCHIZOAFFECTIVE PSYCHOSES

A double-blind eight-week study was carried out to compare the efficac y and safety of risperidone in relation to haloperidol. Sixty-two inpa tients suffering from acute schizophrenic or schizoaffective psychoses diagnosed according to ICD-9 were treated with risperidone 2-20 mg da ily or haloperidol 2-20 mg daily. The mean total BPRS scores were redu ced from 45.5 to 32.4 in the risperidone group and from 43.1 to 28.5 i n haloperidol group. There were no significant differences between the two treated groups with regard to the total BPRS score and the percen tage of remissions achieved. No statistically significant difference w as found between the groups in any of the factors or items except guil t feeling (p < 0.02), anxiety (p < 0.005), and factor I - anxiety/depr ession - (p < 0.02) in favour of haloperidol. Risperidone had the bene fit of a lower incidence of extrapyramidal side-effects.