Antipsychotic
Class of medications / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Antipsychotics, previously known as neuroleptics[1] and major tranquilizers,[2] are a class of psychotropic medication primarily used to manage psychosis (including delusions, hallucinations, paranoia or disordered thought), principally in schizophrenia but also in a range of other psychotic disorders.[3][4] They are also the mainstay, together with mood stabilizers, in the treatment of bipolar disorder.[5] Moreover, they are also used as adjuncts in the treatment of treatment-resistant major depressive disorder.
Antipsychotic | |
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Drug class | |
Class identifiers | |
Synonyms | Neuroleptics, major tranquilizers[1] |
Use | Principally: Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective disorder, Dementia, Tourette syndrome, Bipolar disorder, irritability in autism spectrum disorder |
Clinical data | |
Drugs.com | Drug Classes |
External links | |
MeSH | D014150 |
Legal status | |
In Wikidata |
While some research has shown that use of any antipsychotic is associated with smaller brain tissue volumes,[6][7] including white matter reduction[8] and that this reduction is dose dependent and time dependent,[6][7] schizophrenia is itself a neurodegenerative disorder associated with reduced brain tissue volumes.[9] A more recent controlled trial suggests that second generation antipsychotics[10] combined with intensive psychosocial therapy[11] may potentially prevent pallidal brain volume loss in first episode psychosis.[12][8]
The use of antipsychotics may result in many unwanted side effects such as involuntary movement disorders, gynecomastia, impotence, weight gain and metabolic syndrome. Long-term use can produce adverse effects such as tardive dyskinesia, tardive dystonia, and tardive akathisia.
Prevention of these adverse effects is possible through concomitant medication strategies including use of beta-blockers. Currently, treatments for tardive syndromes include VMAT2 inhibitors.
First-generation antipsychotics (e.g., chlorpromazine), known as typical antipsychotics, were first introduced in the 1950s, and others were developed until the early 1970s.[13] Second-generation antipsychotics, known as atypical antipsychotics, arrived with the introduction of clozapine in the early 1970s followed by others (e.g., risperidone).[14] Both generations of medication block receptors in the brain for dopamine, but atypicals block serotonin receptors as well. Third-generation antipsychotics were introduced in the 2000s and offer partial agonism, rather than blockade, of dopamine receptors.[15] Neuroleptic, originating from Greek: νεῦρον (neuron) and λαμβάνω (take hold of)—thus meaning "which takes the nerve"—refers to both common neurological effects and side effects.[16]