Brief report on Ziprasidone.

Ziprasidone is a new antipsychotic with combined dopamine and serotonin receptor antagonist activity. The initial evidence suggests an effective dosage range of 80-160 mg/day. Clinical trials suggest that the drug is an effective antipsychotic in schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder with a beneficial effect on negative symptoms and symptoms of depression. The main adverse effects appear to be somnolence (14%) and nausea (10%). Ziprasidone has relatively fewer side effects and yet has at least equivalent efficacy for florid 'positive' symptoms compared to conventional anti psychotics. The additional serotonergic actions deliver further efficacy against 'negative' and affective symptoms of schizophrenia. Reduced effects on cognitive abilities compared to conventional anti psychotics make Ziprasidone more attractive.

Writer's cramp--analysis of 15 cases.

This study includes 15 patients of Writer's cramp. All were male and their age ranged from 21 to 57 years. They were from urban areas and of different occupation. They had obsessional pre-morbid personality. The study showed the prognosis of Writer's cramp after 12 weeks of treatment. This study showed that younger age group with early onset and less obsessional feature improved significantly by drug, psychotherapy and behaviour therapy.