RESUMEN
The first thioxanthene derivative without the double bind up to now considered mandatory for the antipsychotic effect, teflutixol, was administered in a phase II pilot efficacy trial to acute or subacute psychotic inpatients (mean age 36,1) during at least 5 weeks at a dosage of 3 to 20 mg p.d. once a day. The patients were abruptly switched from a haloperidol baseline therapy, which was administered on an average for 3 weeks at 15 mg p.d. Preliminary results are reported for the first 11 patients on a purely clinical basis. Despite the limitations of a small sample and of a qualitative analysis of data, it is hypothesized that teflutixol is a potent and original neuroleptic drug combining at 6 mg p.d. or less potent antidelusional, hallucinolytic and antiautistic effects. Latency and duration of action approximate 2 days. At 6 mg and above appear side-effects of the desinhibiting type (anxious and/or aggressive mood, withdrawal, flaring up of delusions, insomnia, agitation) and extrapyramidal side-effects of the akathisia type. No adrenolytic, anticholinergic or toxic effects were prominent. The patient followed up for the longest period (6 months on 3 mg p.d.) has not relapsed and has normal liver functions.