Treatment of negative schizophrenic symptoms with alprazolam: a preliminary open-label study.
Eight schizophrenic patients received alprazolam in an open-label protocol. A partial reversal of negative symptoms was noted in six of the eight patients. Also, all eight experienced a decrease in anxiety. Alprazolam in doses of 5 to 7 mg/day yielded steady state plasma levels of 6 to 64 ng/ml. As the drug was well tolerated at these doses and as negative symptoms of schizophrenia are difficult to treat, a double-blind, controlled trial of alprazolam is underway to test more rigorously these preliminary results.
D000328:Adult; D000525:Alprazolam; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*
D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D000525:Alprazolam