Use of nifedipine in the cases of poor preventive effect of lithium carbonate in patients with affective and schizoaffective psychoses

26 patients with affective and schizoaffective psychoses either therapeutically resistant to lithium salts or with intolerance to them were treated. Control period of preventive therapy (lithium carbonate in average doses 0,6-0,9 g daily) and experimental period (nifedipine, average doses 30-40 mg daily) were equal in duration, 2 years exactly. Preventive effect of nifedipine exeeded the same effect of lithium carbonate in 65,4% of patients. The total duration of affective attacks in the experimental period was reduced on 46,8% and their frequency - on 31,7% in comparison with the control period. A number of hospital admissions decreased (on 52,2%) with a simultaneous tendency to transition of a disease to a more light level (a number of attacks of cyclothymic level increased on 17,3%). The data gives ground for the perspectives of application of nifedipine in the cases of insufficient prophylactic effect or intolerance to lithium salts.