Am J Psychiatry 1980; 137:1446-1448
Copyright © 1980 by American Psychiatric Association
Importance of akinesia: plasma chlorpromazine and prolactin levels
T Van Putten, PR May and JN Wilkins
Akinesia, a common side effect of antipsychotic drugs, often goes
unrecognized by physician and patient. Akinetic apathy and lack of
spontaneity can be mistaken for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia and
add to the well-known social and emotional disability of schizophrenic
patients on maintenance therapy. The authors attempted to identify a
measure that might distinguish between akinesia and the negative symptoms
of schizophrenia but found no relationship between plasma and saliva
chlorpromazine levels or prolactin levels and akinesia. The fact that all
of the akinetic but only 31% of the nonakinetic patients rated themselves
as drowsy 12 hours after their bedtime dose indicates that drowsiness is a
fairly accurate correlate of akinesia.
