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Two Cases of Agranulocytosis on Addition of a Butyrophenone to a Long-Standing Course of Phenothiazine Treatment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Allan Young  and
Robert Kehoe
Allan Young*
Affiliation:
Royal Edinburgh Hospital
Robert Kehoe
Affiliation:
Royal Edinburgh Hospital
*
∗Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh EH10 5HF
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Abstract

Two cases of agranulocytosis occurring after addition of a butyrophenone to a course of phenothiazine treatment are reported and possible mechanisms for this interaction are discussed. Agranulocytosis is a well-documented adverse effect of phenothiazine administration (Vincent, 1986). Important factors are the total amount of drug given and the duration of administration. Agranulocytosis usually occurs within the first three months of therapy (Pisciotta, 1971; Marcus & Mulvihill, 1978) and the relationship with the cumulative dose has been emphasised (Ananth et al, 1973). Agranulocytosis following prolonged administration has been rarely reported (Denber, 1970, Pisciotta, 1978). We report two cases where agranulocytosis developed in patients with a long previous exposure to phenothiazines, treated for the first time with a combination of phenothiazines and a butyrophenone.

Type
Brief Reports
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 154 , Issue 5 , May 1989 , pp. 710 - 712
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1989 

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References

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