An trial of risperidone in the treatment of schizophrenia

Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy of risperidone in the treatment of schizophrenic patients.Methods A total of 54 cases met to the criteria of diagnosis of schizophrenia were administrated to risperidone for 8 weeks.The dosage of risperidone ranged 1～10 mg/d.The brief psychiatric rating scale(BPRS) was used for the efficacy and Treatment Emergent Sympton Scale(TESS) for unwanted effects.Results Patients were rated as marked improvement(88%).The clinical effectiveness of risperidone showed up at the end of the third week of treatment,and the optimal dose ranged from 5.0-6.5 mg/d.The common side effects of risperidone were dizziness and drowsiness.Conclusion Risperidone is effective in the treatment of positive and negative symptons of schizophrenia.