Carbamazepine and Haloperidol v Placebo and Haloperidol in Excited Psychoses

Carbamazepine has recently been reported to have therapeutic potential in mania. We studied carbamazepine plus haloperidol v placebo plus haloperidol in excited psychoses in a controlled double-blind design. Twenty-three patients completed five weeks of carbamazepine-haloperidol therapy, and 20 patients placebo-haloperidol therapy. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ratings showed superior improvement in the group receiving carbamazepine plus haloperidol. This benefit was as apparent in excited schizophrenia as in mania. No unusual toxicity was observed because of the combination of haloperidol with carbamazepine.