Recent Developments
in Atypical Antipsychotic Medications
Medications help in relieving the symptoms of Schizophrenia, help the
individual feel better, and can delay or prevent a relapse. The goal of
medication therapy is to use the least amount of medication possible to manage
the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia effectively, as well as to
minimize unwanted side effects. Drug treatment is usually continuous, as
relapse of symptoms is common when medication is discontinued.
Schizophrenia is now being treated with new medications that are commonly
called "atypical antipsychotics." These drugs have less severe side
effects than the former generation of drugs used to treat this debilitating
disease.
Antipsychotics or neuroleptic drugs (as they're sometimes called) help
relieve the positive symptoms of schizophrenia by helping to correct an
imbalance in the chemicals that enable brain cells to communicate with each
other. As with drug treatments for other physical illnesses, many patients with
severe mental illnesses may need to try several different antipsychotic
medications before they find the one, or the combination of medications, that
works best for them.
Conventional Antipsychotics
Conventional Antipsychotics were introduced in the 1950's and all had
similar ability to relieve the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. Most of
these older "conventional" antipsychotics differed in the side
effects they produced. These conventional antipsychotics include
chlorpromazine (Thorazine), fluphenazine (Prolixin),
haloperidol (Haldol), thiothixene (Navane), trifluoperazine (Stelazine),
perphenazine (Trilafon), and thioridazine (Mellaril).
In the last decade new "atypical" antipsychotics have been
introduced. Compared to the older "conventional" antipsychotics these
medications appear to be equally effective for helping reduce the positive
symptoms like hallucinations and delusions - but may be better than the older
medications at relieving the negative symptoms of the illness, such as
withdrawal, thinking problems, and lack of energy. The atypical antipsychotics
include
aripiprazole (Abilify),
risperidone (Risperdal),
clozapine (Clozaril),
olanzapine (Zyprexa),
quetiapine (Seroquel), and
ziprasidone (Geodon).
Current treatment guidelines recommend using one of the atypical
antipsychotics other than clozapine as a first line treatment option for newly
diagnosed patients. However, for people already taking a conventional
antipsychotic medication that is working well, a change to an atypical may not
be the best option. People thinking of changing their medication should always
consult with their doctor and work together to develop the most safe and
effective treatment plan possible.
Risperdal ~
Clozaril ~
Zyprexa ~
Seroquel ~
Geodon
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