Adjunctive use of nifedipine for the treatment of exacerbation of paranoid schizophrenia with haloperidol (study of efficacy of combination of haloperidol with nifedipine versus haloperidol monotherapy and aripiprazole)

Efficacy of antipsychotic treatment was studied in patients with exacerbation of paranoid schizophrenia who received either combination of haloperidol with nifedipine (25 subjects), haloperidol as monotherapy (26 subjects), or aripiprazole (26 subjects) during 6 weeks. It was demonstrated that adjunctive use of nifedipine did not affect clinical advantages of haloperidol over atypical antipsychotic observed in the acute phase of treatment (rapid onset of therapeutic effect towards positive symptoms and symptoms of hostility/excitement, predictability of response). It was shown that nifedipine improved efficacy of haloperidol towards negative symptoms. Results of the study argue that adjunctive use of nifedipine is a promising strategy to optimize treatment of exacerbation of paranoid schizophrenia with haloperidol.