diff --git a/psycopg/cursor_type.c b/psycopg/cursor_type.c
index ddbed298..8df1df2a 100644
--- a/psycopg/cursor_type.c
+++ b/psycopg/cursor_type.c
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ psyco_curs_close(cursorObject *self)
 
         EXC_IF_NO_MARK(self);
         PyOS_snprintf(buffer, 127, "CLOSE \"%s\"", self->name);
-        if (pq_execute(self, buffer, 0, 0) == -1) return NULL;
+        if (pq_execute(self, buffer, 0, 0, 1) == -1) return NULL;
     }
 
     self->closed = 1;
@@ -444,7 +444,7 @@ _psyco_curs_execute(cursorObject *self,
 
     /* At this point, the SQL statement must be str, not unicode */
 
-    tmp = pq_execute(self, Bytes_AS_STRING(self->query), async, no_result);
+    tmp = pq_execute(self, Bytes_AS_STRING(self->query), async, no_result, 0);
     Dprintf("psyco_curs_execute: res = %d, pgres = %p", tmp, self->pgres);
     if (tmp < 0) { goto exit; }
 
@@ -766,7 +766,7 @@ psyco_curs_fetchone(cursorObject *self)
         EXC_IF_ASYNC_IN_PROGRESS(self, fetchone);
         EXC_IF_TPC_PREPARED(self->conn, fetchone);
         PyOS_snprintf(buffer, 127, "FETCH FORWARD 1 FROM \"%s\"", self->name);
-        if (pq_execute(self, buffer, 0, 0) == -1) return NULL;
+        if (pq_execute(self, buffer, 0, 0, self->withhold) == -1) return NULL;
         if (_psyco_curs_prefetch(self) < 0) return NULL;
     }
 
@@ -816,7 +816,7 @@ psyco_curs_next_named(cursorObject *self)
 
         PyOS_snprintf(buffer, 127, "FETCH FORWARD %ld FROM \"%s\"",
             self->itersize, self->name);
-        if (pq_execute(self, buffer, 0, 0) == -1) return NULL;
+        if (pq_execute(self, buffer, 0, 0, self->withhold) == -1) return NULL;
         if (_psyco_curs_prefetch(self) < 0) return NULL;
     }
 
@@ -885,7 +885,7 @@ psyco_curs_fetchmany(cursorObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwords)
         EXC_IF_TPC_PREPARED(self->conn, fetchone);
         PyOS_snprintf(buffer, 127, "FETCH FORWARD %d FROM \"%s\"",
             (int)size, self->name);
-        if (pq_execute(self, buffer, 0, 0) == -1) { goto exit; }
+        if (pq_execute(self, buffer, 0, 0, self->withhold) == -1) { goto exit; }
         if (_psyco_curs_prefetch(self) < 0) { goto exit; }
     }
 
@@ -960,7 +960,7 @@ psyco_curs_fetchall(cursorObject *self)
         EXC_IF_ASYNC_IN_PROGRESS(self, fetchall);
         EXC_IF_TPC_PREPARED(self->conn, fetchall);
         PyOS_snprintf(buffer, 127, "FETCH FORWARD ALL FROM \"%s\"", self->name);
-        if (pq_execute(self, buffer, 0, 0) == -1) { goto exit; }
+        if (pq_execute(self, buffer, 0, 0, self->withhold) == -1) { goto exit; }
         if (_psyco_curs_prefetch(self) < 0) { goto exit; }
     }
 
@@ -1178,7 +1178,7 @@ psyco_curs_scroll(cursorObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
         else {
             PyOS_snprintf(buffer, 127, "MOVE %d FROM \"%s\"", value, self->name);
         }
-        if (pq_execute(self, buffer, 0, 0) == -1) return NULL;
+        if (pq_execute(self, buffer, 0, 0, self->withhold) == -1) return NULL;
         if (_psyco_curs_prefetch(self) < 0) return NULL;
     }
 
@@ -1391,7 +1391,7 @@ psyco_curs_copy_from(cursorObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
     Py_INCREF(file);
     self->copyfile = file;
 
-    if (pq_execute(self, query, 0, 0) >= 0) {
+    if (pq_execute(self, query, 0, 0, 0) >= 0) {
         res = Py_None;
         Py_INCREF(Py_None);
     }
@@ -1485,7 +1485,7 @@ psyco_curs_copy_to(cursorObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
     Py_INCREF(file);
     self->copyfile = file;
 
-    if (pq_execute(self, query, 0, 0) >= 0) {
+    if (pq_execute(self, query, 0, 0, 0) >= 0) {
         res = Py_None;
         Py_INCREF(Py_None);
     }
@@ -1559,7 +1559,7 @@ psyco_curs_copy_expert(cursorObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
     self->copyfile = file;
 
     /* At this point, the SQL statement must be str, not unicode */
-    if (pq_execute(self, Bytes_AS_STRING(sql), 0, 0) >= 0) {
+    if (pq_execute(self, Bytes_AS_STRING(sql), 0, 0, 0) >= 0) {
         res = Py_None;
         Py_INCREF(res);
     }
diff --git a/psycopg/pqpath.c b/psycopg/pqpath.c
index 42460f5b..3512f639 100644
--- a/psycopg/pqpath.c
+++ b/psycopg/pqpath.c
@@ -893,7 +893,7 @@ pq_flush(connectionObject *conn)
 */
 
 RAISES_NEG int
-pq_execute(cursorObject *curs, const char *query, int async, int no_result)
+pq_execute(cursorObject *curs, const char *query, int async, int no_result, int no_begin)
 {
     PGresult *pgres = NULL;
     char *error = NULL;
@@ -916,7 +916,7 @@ pq_execute(cursorObject *curs, const char *query, int async, int no_result)
     Py_BEGIN_ALLOW_THREADS;
     pthread_mutex_lock(&(curs->conn->lock));
 
-    if (pq_begin_locked(curs->conn, &pgres, &error, &_save) < 0) {
+    if (!no_begin && pq_begin_locked(curs->conn, &pgres, &error, &_save) < 0) {
         pthread_mutex_unlock(&(curs->conn->lock));
         Py_BLOCK_THREADS;
         pq_complete_error(curs->conn, &pgres, &error);
diff --git a/psycopg/pqpath.h b/psycopg/pqpath.h
index 40beea19..bd3293f8 100644
--- a/psycopg/pqpath.h
+++ b/psycopg/pqpath.h
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
 HIDDEN PGresult *pq_get_last_result(connectionObject *conn);
 RAISES_NEG HIDDEN int pq_fetch(cursorObject *curs, int no_result);
 RAISES_NEG HIDDEN int pq_execute(cursorObject *curs, const char *query,
-                                 int async, int no_result);
+                                 int async, int no_result, int no_begin);
 HIDDEN int pq_send_query(connectionObject *conn, const char *query);
 HIDDEN int pq_begin_locked(connectionObject *conn, PGresult **pgres,
                            char **error, PyThreadState **tstate);