Antipsychotic Medications

Antipsychotic medications are used used to treat a wide variety of psychotic conditions. Psychosis is defined as an abnormal condition of the mind or a severe mental disorder where one loses contact (or becomes out of touch) with reality.

Antipsychotics are aimed at treating the following symptoms of psychosis:

Hallucinations - both auditory and visual, which include hearing voices and sometimes seeing that things that aren't really there
Delusions and Paranoia - quite often they imagine that other poeple can hear their thoughts or are trying to hurt them; sometimes they also have what are known as "delusions of grandeur", where they think they are someone really important like the president, God, Jesus or some other famous person.
Neglecting appearance - they stop changing their clothes, taking baths and neglect personal hygiene, generally resulting in an unkempt appearance.

All these symptoms are associated with disorders such as schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder (manic-depression).

Antipsychotics generally fall into two groups - typical and atypical antipsychotics. These medications can only help to control the symptoms of psychosis, they will not actually cure the condition. Here is the breakdown:

Typical Antipsychotics:

Haldol (Haloperidol)
Thorazine (Chlorpromazine)
Lithobid (Lithium)
Droleptan (Droperidol)
Navane (Thiothixene)
Prolixin (Fluphenazine)
Phenergan (Promethazine)
Trilafon (Perphenazine)
Vesprin (Triflupromazine)
Compazine (Prochlorperazine)
Mellaril (Thioridazine)
Stelazine (Trifluoperazine)
Mesoridazine
Promazine
Orap (Pimozide)
Moban (Molindone)
Loxapac, Loxitane (Loxapine)

Atypical Antipsychotics:

Clozaril (Clozapine)
Risperdal (Risperidone)
Seroquel (Quetiapine)
Zyprexa (Olanzapine)
Geodon (Ziprasidone)
Abilify (Aripiprazole)
Invega (Paliperidone)
Fanapt (Iloperidone)
Saphris (Asenapine)

Mood Stabilizers:

Eskalith, Eskaltih CR, Lithane, Lithobid (Lithium)

Medicine, the only profession that labors incessantly to destroy the reason for it's own existence.
- James Bryce, speech, 1914

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April 30, 2009

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