Anticholinergic agents for prophylaxis of neuroleptic-induced dystonic reactions: a prospective study.

The development of acute dystonic reactions was monitored in 202 acute psychiatric patients during initial hospitalization and treatment with various neuroleptic drugs in a prospective study. Data were analyzed to determine the effect of anticholinergic prophylaxis, age, sex, and type and dosage of neuroleptic on the incidence of dystonic reactions. Nearly 90% of dystonic reactions occurred by the third day of treatment. The overall trend favored the prophylactic use of antiparkinsonian drugs with all neuroleptics, and the effect of this prophylaxis with haloperidol was statistically significant. Because anticholinergic prophylaxis was used more often when larger dosages of neuroleptics were prescribed, an added effect in the observed trend for fewer dystonic reactions is suggested.