Various drugs 1989.
| Study characteristics | ||
| Methods | Randomisation: assumed, because study was double‐blind and because the first study phase was randomised (no further details). Allocation: procedure not described. Blinding: double‐blind, no further details. Duration: 12 months. Design: parallel. Location: single‐centre. Setting: outpatient. | |
| Participants | Diagnosis: first episode schizophrenia (Present State Examination, Feighner criteria and Research Diagnostic Criteria). N = 15. Gender: n.i. Age: n.i. History: duration stable‐ 1 year, duration ill‐ n.i., number of previous hospitalisations‐ n.i., age at onset‐ n.i., severity of illness‐ n.i., baseline antipsychotic dose‐ n.i.. |
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| Interventions | 1. Drug: pimozide once weekly or IM flupenthixol. Flexible doses. Allowed dose range: n.i.. Mean dose: n.i.. N = 8. 2. Placebo: duration of taper: 0 days N = 7. Rescue medication: antiparkinson medication. | |
| Outcomes |
Examined Relapse: re‐admission. Rehospitalisation. Unable to use/Not included Leaving the study early (no data). Global state ‐ number of participants in remission (no data for withdrawal study). Social adjustment (no data for withdrawal study). Cognition (no data for withdrawal study / no predefined outcome of interest). Adverse effects: parkinsonism, tardive dyskinesia (no data for withdrawal study). |
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| Notes | ||
| Risk of bias | ||
| Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) | Unclear risk | Randomisation assumed. |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) | Unclear risk | Procedure not described. |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes | Unclear risk | Double‐blind, no further details. |
| Blinding (performance bias and detection bias) Subjective outcomes | Unclear risk | Double‐blind, no further details. |
| Blinding (performance bias and detection bias) Objective outcomes | Low risk | Double‐blind, no further details. |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes | Unclear risk | It is unclear whether there were missing data. |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) | Low risk | No evidence for selective reporting. |
| Other bias | Unclear risk | Not entirely clear. |