Cessation of medication for people with schizophrenia already stable on chlorpromazine

Introduction People with schizophrenia are often encouraged to take medication for protracted periods of time in order to postpone or stop deterioration. It is, nevertheless, difficult for clinicians to provide a quantitative estimate of risk of relapse should medication be stopped. Because protracted use of any medication carries a risk of adverse effects, it seems reasonable to seek this evidence. Objectives To investigate the effects of stopping chlorpromazine for people with schizophrenia already stable on that drug, primarily for outcomes of global state, improvement, and relapse. Search Strategy We searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group Trials Register (March 2006). This is compiled by systematic searches of major