Psychotropic Drugs and Electrocardiogram in Schizophrenic Patients

Abstract

The influence of psychotropic drugs upon electrocardiographic findings was studied in 104 hospitalized schizophrenic patients, 52 for each sex, receiving the combination-therapy of psychotropic agents.
The results obtained were as follows:
1) The doses of chlorpromazine, levomepromazine, thioridazine, perphenazine and haloperidol possessed significant correlations with the prolongation of the Q-T interval, and the doses of chlorpromazine, levomepromazine, promethazine and biperiden with the increase in heart rate.
2) The interaction between the dose of promethazine and some factor (s) related with sex showed a significant correlation with the Q-T interval prolongation, and the interaction between the dose of biperiden and some factor (s) related with sex showed with the heart rate increase.
3) With the increase in the doses of major tranquilizers, the frequency of the T-wave change was increased, the Q-T interval was prolonged, and the heart rate was elevated.
4) The correlation of the T-wave change and psychotropic drugs was less evident than those of Q-T interval and of the heart rate.