Effects of Labetalol on Hemodynamics and Seizure Duration During ECT.

Beta blockers are commonly used to attenuate the transient increase in heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) that accompany electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Recent reports have suggested that several beta blockers have anticonvulsant properties and hence could be countertherapeutic with ECT. In a randomized, double-blind controlled study of the dose response effects of intravenous labetalol on ECT hemodynamics and seizure duration, labetalol exhibited dose-dependent reduction in HR and rate pressure product (RPP) at the 5 and 10 mg doses compared to placebo.

Predictors of therapeutic response to haloperidol in acute schizophrenia.

During a study of neuroleptic threshold haloperidol doses as treatment for newly admitted schizophrenic patients, we examined whether variables extracted from patients' clinical histories, the type and severity of patients' psychopathology at baseline, or the emergence of specific extrapyramidal side effects (EPSE) during treatment were associated with therapeutic response. Rapid therapeutic response was most powerfully predicted by a short (less than 1 month) duration of active illness prior to admission. Severe psychopathology at baseline, or the development of akathisia at neuroleptic threshold doses, portended against early response.