Extrapyramidal symptoms in children and adolescents treated with different dose of low potency neuroleptics

ABSTRACT

Neuroleptic-induced extrapyramidal symptoms [EPS] were evaluated in 61 children and adolescents over 4 weeks of treatment. In patients treated with low potency neuroleptics, EPS was twice as common with higher doses >300 mg [60%] than with lower doses <299 mg chlorpromazine equivalents. In patients who were neuroleptic-free before initiation of drug treatment, EPS were more than 3 times as common in higher doses [73%] than in lower doses [18%]. The implications of these findings were discussed and the use of prophylactic antiparkinsonian agents in combination with higher doses of low potency neuroleptics were suggested