The use of chlorpromazine (Thorazine)1 alone or Rauwolfia serpentina2 alone in neuropsychiatric conditions has been reported by many authors. At the time of writing, there have been no published reports on the use of the combination of chlorpromazine and Rauwolfia in this type of patient. For the past 18 months this combination has been used with a degree of success in the treatment of moderate and severe essential hypertension.3 The ease of administration, lack of toxicity and side-effects, and the synergistic therapeutic potentiation suggested the possibility of their simultaneous administration in neuropsychiatric conditions.
This preliminary report is based upon observations on 24 patients with varied neuropsychiatric conditions, none of whom were confined to an institution while receiving this therapy.
METHOD
Preliminary testing with the combination of chlorpromazine and Rauwolfia was begun on patients with schizophrenia, manic-depressive psychosis, senile agitated states, anxiety neuroses, menopausal agitation, epilepsy, primary behavior