What Different Types Of Antipsychotic Are There
Antipsychotic drugs tend to fall into one of two categories:
- first generation , or ‘typical’ antipsychotics
- second generation , or ‘atypical’ antipsychotics.
Both types can potentially work for different people. They also have different side effects.
First generation antipsychotics
Key facts:
- These are sometimes referred to as ‘typicals’.
- They divide into various chemical groups which all act in a very similar way and can cause very similar side effects, including severe neuromuscular side effects.
- But they are not all the same. For example, some may cause more severe movement disorders than others, or be more likely to make you more drowsy.
Second generation antipsychotics
- These are sometimes referred to as ‘atypicals’.
- In general, they cause less severe neuromuscular side effects than first generation antipsychotics.
- Some are also less likely to cause sexual side effects compared to first generation antipsychotics.
- But second generation antipsychotics may be more likely to cause serious metabolic side effects. This may include rapid weight gain and changes to blood sugar levels.
The side effects that you may experience from drugs in either group will vary, depending on your dose and how you respond to the drug that you are prescribed.
“I still take antipsychotic medication today and I don’t have a problem with it. I feel so much better than when I was first prescribed an antipsychotic. I know that they work for me and help.”
Antipsychotic Drugs And Possible Side Effects
Older and newer antipsychotic drugs can cause side effects, including the following:
- Uncontrollable movements, such as tics, tremors, or muscle spasms
- Weight gain and other metabolic effects like development of diabetes and high cholesterol
Different antipsychotics have different possible side effects it is important to speak with your doctor about the potential side effects from your particular medication.
Antipsychotics can also cause interactions with certain medications and supplements.
Discuss all other medications or supplements that you take with your doctor before starting on an antipsychotic.
This includes over-the-counter drugs, supplements, and illegal and recreational drugs, including , which has been shown to worsen psychotic symptoms in those with and susceptible to schizophrenia.
What If I Want To Stop Taking Antipsychotics
If you want to stop taking antipsychotics, you should discuss this with your doctor.
Your doctor should discuss the negatives and benefits of stopping antipsychotics. You can ask them about these things. Its important to think about the negatives and benefits of stopping antipsychotics.
If you decide to come off antipsychotics your doctor will help you come off the medication gradually by reducing the dose over a period of time.
If you stop antipsychotics suddenly it can cause ‘rebound psychosis’. This means that the symptoms of your illness return suddenly, and you may become unwell again. This is also known as relapse.
If you or your family or friends think you are becoming unwell again, you should speak to your doctor.
You may find that stopping your medication can lead to your symptoms returning within 3-6 months. Your doctor may suggest that you keep taking the medication because it is keeping you well. If this is the case, you could ask about trying another type of medication.
If you want to stop taking antipsychotics, it is important to consider what happened during previous episodes of illness. The risk of the same symptoms occurring again needs to be weighed up against not having the side effects of the medication and any other things important to you. Your doctor can talk these things through with you to help you come to the best decision.
Can I experience withdrawal symptoms from stopping antipsychotics?
Do I have to take antipsychotics?
Recommended Reading: How To Prevent A Panic Attack On An Airplane
Schizophrenia And Psychotic Disorders
Pharmacologic treatment of schizophrenia has been shifted away from the reliance on traditional neuroleptics with the advent of the atypical antipsychotics, including clozapine, risperidone, ziprasidone, aripiprazole, and olanzapine. Unlike traditional neuroleptics, this new generation of antipsychotics does not rely primarily on D2 receptor blockade for efficacy and so is less prone to aggravate negative symptoms of the disease, such as emotional blunting and apathy. Before the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness in 2005, atypical antipsychotics were largely uncontested as the standard of care for the treatment of psychotic disorders. In CATIE, the atypical antipsychotics did not seem as a class to show improved tolerance or better results than a standard neuroleptic , but there was much greater cost. CATIE has left the field in doubt as to any reflexive preference for atypical agents and may reshuffle existing treatment guidelines in the coming years. For example, there may be a renewed appreciation for traditional neuroleptics like haloperidol.73
In vulnerable CKD patients, dopamine-blocking drugs, especially higher potency neuroleptics and risperidone, can cause hyperprolactinemia, affecting gonadotropin levels and bone metabolism.
Breck Borcherding, … John T. Walkup, in, 2017
How Should I Take Seroquel
Never take Seroquel in larger amounts, or for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow all directions on your prescription label. High doses or long-term use of quetiapine can cause a serious movement disorder that may not be reversible. Symptoms of this disorder include tremors or other uncontrollable muscle movements.
Take this medicine with a full glass of water. You may take immediate-release Seroquel with or without food. It is suggested that Seroquel XR be administered without food or with a light meal , preferably in the evening.
Do not crush, chew, or break an extended-release tablet. Swallow it whole.
Seroquel may cause you to have high blood sugar . If you are diabetic, check your blood sugar levels on a regular basis while you are taking Seroquel.
You should not stop using Seroquel suddenly. Stopping suddenly may make your condition worse.
Blood pressure may need to be checked often in a child or teenager taking Seroquel.
Quetiapine can cause you to have a false positive drug screening test. If you provide a urine sample for drug screening, tell the laboratory staff that you are taking Seroquel.
Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
Recommended Reading: How Does It Feel To Have An Anxiety Attack
How Do Antipsychotics Work
Antipsychotic drugs don’t cure psychosis but they can help to reduce and control many psychotic symptoms, including:
Antipsychotics might not get rid of these symptoms completely. They may just stop you feeling so bothered by them. This is to help you feel more stable, so you can lead your life the way you want to. Taking antipsychotics can also reduce the risk of these symptoms returning in future .
You may find that some types of antipsychotic work better than others for your symptoms. Or you may find that antipsychotics arent right for you. See our page on how antipsychotics can help to find out more.
“They make me feel calm, help me sleep, stop racing thoughts and help blunt hallucinations. Meds don’t make life perfect they just help me cope with the imperfections and struggles I face.”
What’s the science behind antipsychotics?
There are several possible explanations why antipsychotic drugs may help to reduce psychotic symptoms:
Antipsychotics may help to relieve psychotic symptoms by causing changes to your brain chemistry. But the causes of psychosis can be very complex, and may be affected by your life experiences and your environment as much as the chemicals in your brain.
This is why you are likely to be offered talking therapy as a treatment for your psychosis, alongside medication. This is to help you with the causes of your psychosis, while the medication helps you deal with the symptoms.
Does Being On Schizophrenia Medication Make It Possible To Be Employed And Live Independently
It is possible for a person to achieve a level of stability that allows them to live independently, gain employment, and have meaningful platonic and intimate relationships.
People who engage in treatment early and remain in treatment without many episodes of stopping their medication abruptly or not following up with their treatment team are more likely to achieve this level of stability.
Also Check: Is Bipolar Type 2 Considered A Disability
When Are Antipsychotics Usually Prescribed
As discussed above, antipsychotics are usually prescribed to help ease the symptoms of schizophrenia, mania , severe depression or severe anxiety. Normally they are started by a specialist in psychiatry, or your GP will ask a specialist for advice on when to start them.
Also, for many years antipsychotics were used to calm elderly people who had dementia. However, this use is no longer recommended. This is because these medicines are thought to increase the risk of stroke and early death by a small amount. Risperidone is the only antipsychotic recommended for use in these people. Even then, it should only be used for a short period of time and for severe symptoms.
Dont Miss: Aphobic Meaning
Before Taking This Medicine
You should not use Seroquel if you are allergic to quetiapine.
Seroquel may increase the risk of death in older adults with dementia-related psychosis and is not approved for this use.
To make sure Seroquel is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:
-
liver or kidney disease
-
a personal or family history of diabetes or
-
trouble swallowing.
Some young people have thoughts about suicide when first taking Seroquel. Your doctor should check your progress at regular visits. Your family or other caregivers should also be alert to changes in your mood or symptoms.
Taking antipsychotic medication during the last 3 months of pregnancy may cause problems in the newborn, such as withdrawal symptoms, breathing problems, feeding problems, fussiness, tremors, and limp or stiff muscles. However, you may have withdrawal symptoms or other problems if you stop taking your medicine during pregnancy. If you become pregnant while taking Seroquel, do not stop taking it without your doctor’s advice.
This medicine may temporarily affect fertility in women.
Seroquel can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. You should not breastfeed while you are using Seroquel unless directed by a doctor.
Do not give Seroquel to a child without a doctor’s advice. Extended-release Seroquel XR is for use only in adults and should not be given to anyone younger than 18 years old.
Recommended Reading: How Do Dogs Help Veterans With Ptsd
Does Everyone With Schizophrenia Need To Stay On Medication For Life
Most individuals with schizophrenia will require lifelong treatment with medication to assure continued success and stability.
Dr. Nicole Washington is a board certified psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer of Elocin Psychiatric Services, a primarily virtual practice where she focuses on the mental health needs of the busy professional. Dr. Washington has spent most of her career caring and being an advocate for those who are not typically consumers of mental health services namely underserved communities and high performing professionals.
Through her practice, the Amazon best-selling book, From Introspection to Action: The High-Level Professionals 28 Day Journey to Improving Mental Health, and her podcast, The C-Suite Confidant, she hopes to break down barriers to receiving treatment that these populations face, as well as engage listeners in topics relevant to the busy professional. She is a sought-after speaker on a variety of mental health topics and enjoys working with organizations on initiatives that create environments that are supportive of the mental well-being of their employees.
How To Get Schizophrenia Medication
Finding the right medication for schizophrenia is part of managing it. Even if youre already seeking treatment through therapy, it can be a good idea to reach out to your doctor or psychiatrist to discuss your options. In case you cant visit your psychiatrist in person and need a prescription, you can reach out to a licensed online psychiatrist to get you the medication you need.
One of the first things you should consider is how any medication might affect you. Candid conversations with your doctor or psychiatrist can ensure youre learning everything you need to know about potential schizophrenia medications. This way, youll be confident in your decision if you begin taking any specific type of medication. You can also have discussions with your doctor about medication adherence and medication nonadherence in case there are unique situations that prevent you from taking medicine as initially prescribed by your doctor.
To get meds for schizophrenia, complete the following steps:
You May Like: Is Binge Eating Disorder Dangerous
What Are Antipsychotic Drugs And How Do They Work
Doctors use antipsychotic drugs to treat symptoms of psychosis. These symptoms may include:
- hallucinations: hearing voices, seeing things that others cannot see, or feeling things on the skin that are not there
- delusional thoughts: paranoia or other beliefs that are not based in reality
- disorganized thoughts: difficulty forming logical, coherent, and connected thoughts
These drugs also treat disorders other than schizophrenia, including bipolar disorder and depression. They act on specific messenger chemicals of the brain known as neurotransmitters.
Antipsychotics work primarily on dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine.
Role Of Inflammation And Oxidative Stress In The Pathomechanism Of Schizophrenia
The role of inflammation and oxidative stress in schizophrenia is a focus of many studies . It was reported that severe infections and immune disorders during the life-time are an additional risk factor for the development of schizophrenia . Although prenatal infections alone do not seem to be a definitive risk factor, the neurodevelopmental exposure to infection can facilitate the occurrence of psychosis in offspring. This can be supported by the observation that during influenza epidemics women are more likely to give birth to children who develop schizophrenia . In this regard, there are inflammatory models of psychotic disorders, e.g., the anti-NMDAR encephalitis syndrome . In this disease, schizophrenia-liked symptoms are combined with elevated level of NMDA receptor autoantibodies. Immunotherapy is a treatment option for this syndrome. This is also indirect proof of involvement of glutamatergic system in the pathomechanism of schizophrenia.
Another treatable immune model of schizophrenia is gluten sensitivity with the occurrence of anti-tissue transglutaminase or anti-gliadin antibodies . Indeed, there can be a possible relationship between diet rich in grain products with high gluten content and the occurrence or exacerbation of schizophrenia symptoms .
Read Also: Is Marijuana A Stimulant Or A Depressant
Can I Buy Antipsychotics
No they are only available from your pharmacist, with a doctors prescription.
How to use the Yellow Card Scheme
If you think you have had a side-effect to one of your medicines you can report this on the Yellow Card Scheme. You can do this online at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.
The Yellow Card Scheme is used to make pharmacists, doctors and nurses aware of any new side-effects that medicines or any other healthcare products may have caused. If you wish to report a side-effect, you will need to provide basic information about:
- The side-effect.
- The name of the medicine which you think caused it.
- The person who had the side-effect.
- Your contact details as the reporter of the side-effect.
It is helpful if you have your medication and/or the leaflet that came with it with you while you fill out the report.
Also Check: Late Onset Schizophrenia
Side Effects Of Certain Antipsychotics In Schizophrenia Treatment
Any strong medications consumed by human bodies lately show their side effects too. The side effects can either be acute or chronic and short-term or long-term. It depends upon the drug taken, its dose, and how frequently it has been consumed. So is the case with psychotics. Psychotics can never be confused with mild drugs because the light or soft drugs can never manage any psychotic disorder. Therefore, antipsychotics are powerful and strong drugs which the patients with psychosis have to consume regularly. The intake of any drug, either mild or strong, regularly can more than likely show its side effects at a certain stage or period.
But still, there are certain patients with such pathetic and strong symptoms of Schizophrenia who tend to bear the pain caused by side effects to make the symptoms of the disease go away.
The side effects of these antipsychotics may include:
- Increased heart rate
- Feeling dizzy occasionally as well as experiencing fatigue quite regularly.
- The user might also feel sensitive to the sun and can experience skin rashes.
These side effects are not that serious of schizophrenia treatment medication, and a large number of consumers of antipsychotics tend to face them. But to deal with the symptoms of the disease, they ignore these side effects. In addition to the above-mentioned mild symptoms of antipsychotics, there are certain other side effects observed too, which have proved to be more serious.
- Frequent restlessness
You May Like: How To Live With An Eating Disorder
Medications To Treat Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a complicated, chronic neuropsychiatric disorder that affects how you feel, think, and behave. Less than 1% of people in the United States have schizophrenia, and its exact cause isnt known. While there isnt a cure for schizophrenia, understanding as much as possible about it can help with both treatment and learning to manage the disorder.
Schizophrenia treatment can greatly improve most, if not all, symptoms. Effective treatment also reduces the likelihood of a recurrence of negative symptoms.
Schizophrenia medications like antipsychotics and other meds when combined with psychological treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy and other psychotherapy techniques work together to significantly reduce symptoms.
Keep reading to learn more about meds for schizophrenia. Were discussing everything you need to know, including how they work, what side effects may occur, and how to get medication to treat schizophrenia.
Which Antipsychotic Medicine Will Be Best For Me
People respond differently to different antipsychotic medicines some work well for one person but not so well for another. Or side effects may be a problem with one medicine but less so with another. So, treatment for schizophrenia is tailored specifically for each individual.
In Australia, antipsychotics are available only on prescription. The medicine that your doctor or psychiatrist prescribes will depend on:
- your symptoms and how long you have had them
- likely side effects of medicines
- your age and sex and
- whether you have any other conditions or take other regular medicines.
Sometimes the first antipsychotic medicine you try wont be effective or will cause troublesome side effects, so you may need to change medicines. Your doctor will work with you to find the best medicine for you and the right dose.
A second-generation antipsychotic is usually the first choice for people who are having a psychotic episode for the first time. If the first medicine tried is not effective in controlling symptoms, a different second-generation or a first-generation antipsychotic may need to be tried.
Its usually recommended that people take antipsychotic medicines for 2 to 5 years after a psychotic episode. After a certain period of time , some people may be able to have a trial of no medicines under their doctors supervision. If they remain symptom free, they may not need to take long-term medicines.
Recommended Reading: When Does A Fear Become A Phobia