Observations of Liver Function in Chlorpromazine-Treated Alcoholic Patients

THE reported beneficial effects of chlorpromazine hydrochloride,1 2 3 including sedation, control of psychomotor agitation and suppression of nausea and vomiting, indicated its use in the treatment of "Skid Row" alcoholic patients admitted to the Long Island Hospital in Boston. However, in view of the reported occurrence of jaundice in some chlorpromazine-treated patients4 , 5 and because alcoholic patients may have liver dysfunction, a study was conducted to evaluate the possible hepatotoxic side effects of the drug in these patients.ProcedureA total of 500 patients with 750 separate hospital admissions were studied. The ages ranged from twenty-four to sixty-two years, with an average . . .