Although neuroleptics are the major treatment for schizophrenia, there
are no effective measures to determine the appropriate or necessary length
of neuroleptic maintenance. To test the ability of a psychostimulant
challenge to predict relapse following neuroleptic withdrawal, the authors
administered methylphenidate and placebo infusions to 11 stable
schizophrenic outpatients who had been on a neuroleptic maintenance regimen
for at least 6 months. Patients withdrawn from neuroleptics were followed
until relapse. All three patients with a positive response to
methylphenidate challenge relapsed in 1 to 7 weeks; one of seven negative
responders relapsed at week 21. Differences in relapse rates (p = .033) and
survival time (p = .005) between negative and positive responders were
significant.Abstract Teaser