Loxapine for agitation in psychiatric patients who consult in emergency medical services

Introduction The DSM-5 defines psychomotor agitation as excessive motor activity associated with a feeling of inner tension. The activity is usually nonproductive and repetitious and consists of behaviors such as pacing, fidgeting, wringing of the hands, pulling of clothes, and inability to sit still. This kind of behavoir occurs in up to 25% of psychiatrics patients who consult in emergency medical services. Objective The main objective was to determine the efficacy of loxapine inhalation powder in acute agitation. Methods Ten agitated psychiatric patients scored Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale – Excited Component (PANSS-EC) baseline and ten minutes after the administration of ADASUVE ® . Results The efficacy of loxapine 10 mg in the acute treatment of agitation was established in a short-term (10 minutes). Conclusions Loxapine is the first and only orally inhaled medication for the acute treatment of agitation associated with psychiatrics disorders, which is a tool easy-to-use in emergency medical services.