Serum and cerebrospinal fluid levels of fluphenazine-relationship to treatment response in schizophrenic patients

Serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of fluphenazine (FPZ) were measured during nine weeks of FPZ medication in 28 patients with acute symptoms of schizophrenia. A significant correlation was found between the serum and CSF FPZ values (r = 0·70, p < 0·001) throughout the entire study. Patients exhibiting marked clinical improvement (MCI) had higher levels of serum and CSF FPZ than did patients showing only slight clinical improvement (SCI) or those with no treatment response (NTR). The differences between the MCI and the NTR group were at most observation points statistically significant (p < 0·05). The figures of the SCI group formed an intermediate curve between the serum and CSF FPZ curve of the MCI and the NTR patients. The serum and the CSF levels of FPZ were not significantly related to such variables as age, sex, duration of illness, number of previous psychotic episodes, or subtype of schizophrenia.