A placebo-controlled trial of nadolol in the treatment of neuroleptic-induced akathisia.

Evaluated the efficacy of nadolol in treatment of neuroleptic-induced akathisia in 20 adult psychiatric inpatients. Ss with akathisia of at least moderate severity were randomly assigned to receive nadolol (40–80 mg/day) or placebo. Ss were rated daily for 4 days, then every other day for 15 days by means of the Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale. No significant differences were found between or within groups in subjective restlessness scores, and there were no significant differences between groups in objective akathisia scores. However, beginning at Day 9, both groups showed significant improvement compared with Day 1. Data do not support the efficacy of nadolol in the treatment of neuroleptic-induced akathisia or suggest a peripheral site of action for β-blockers in treatment of this condition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)