title: Serum level monitoring of thiothixene in schizophrenia: acute single-dose levels at fixed doses.
abstract: After establishing a strong correlation between steady-state thiothixene levels and levels drawn 2.5 hours after a 20-mg test dose, the authors examined the correlation between clinical improvement and serum levels drawn 2.5 hours after a single 20-mg test dose of thiothixene. For 30 male schizophrenic inpatients, improvement on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale was significantly correlated with the single test-dose levels. Serum levels were also positively correlated with age, which may explain the tendency of elderly patients to require lower neuroleptic doses and to exhibit a higher incidence of side effects. The results suggest that acute single-dose levels may be useful in predicting clinical response to thiothixene.
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000097:blood; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D012560:Schizophrenia, Catatonic / Q000097:blood; D012563:Schizophrenia, Paranoid / Q000097:blood; D013888:Thiothixene / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D013888:Thiothixene