Adults: It is recommended to start treatment at a low dosage of about 5 mg per day in a single dose or in divided doses. This initial dosage is gradually increased by the same amount every 2 to 3 days until the usual effective dosage of 30 to 40 mg per day is reached. In some cases higher dosages of 90 mg or more per day, are necessary to control the psychotic manifestations. Children: In children over 10 years: Start treatment with a daily dosage of 1 to 3 mg following the method of treatment described for adults.

The effects of drugs on biochemical parameters of red blood cells were assessed using 100 ml human blood, which was obtained from a volunteer and diluted with 15 ml of 16 mM citric acid, 113 mM sodium citrate, 21 mM monosodium phosphate, 140 mM glucose, and 2 mM adenine at pH 7.4. Thioproperazine samples were added to 10-ml aliquots of blood to give a final concentration of 1 mM, and the blood was stored at 4 C. The pH of the blood was routinely measured, and 2-ml samples were taken. The cells were pelleted by centrifugation at 3000gma x for 5 rain, and the supernatants were removed. Two volumes of 15% (w/v) trichloroacetic acid were added to 1 vol of packed cells and, after standing on ice for 10 rain, the denatured protein was removed by centrifugation. The acid-soluble fraction was extracted four times with copious amounts of water-saturated diethyl ether to remove the trichloracetic acid and was assayed for 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid levels using spectrophotometric methods