Indications: schizophrenia and related psychoses, tranquillization in behavioral disturbances, adjunct in severe anxiety.

Cautions: hepatic & renal impairment, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy; cardiovascular disease; depression; myasthenia gravis, prostatic hypertrophy, or a susceptibility to angle-closure glaucoma; in severe respiratory disease and in patients with a history of jaundice or who have blood dyscrasias (perform blood counts if unexplained infection or fever develops), elderly, who are particularly susceptible to postural hypotension and to hyper- or hypothermia in very hot or cold weather, As photosensitisation may occur with higher dosages, patients should avoid direct sunlight.

Contra-indications: in comatose states, CNS depression, and phaeochromocytoma; pregnancy, unless essential; during breast-feeding.

Side Effects: extra pyramidal symptoms consisting dystonias, more frequent; respiratory depression may occur in susceptible individuals; pancytopenia; thrombocytopenia; hyperpyrexia; anorexia.

Dose: by mouth, psychoses, initially 5 mg twice daily or 10 mg daily in modified-release form, increased by 5 mg after 1 week, then at intervals of 3 days, according to response.

Child up to 12 years, initially 5 mg daily in divided doses. Severe anxiety, 2-4 mg daily in divided doses or 2-4 mg daily in slow release form, increased if necessary to 6 mg daily.

Child 3-5 years, up to 1 mg daily;

6-12 years, up to 4 mg daily in divided doses.