Antipsychotic drugs are used in psychosis and other mental and emotional disorders’ treatment.
Table of Contents
What do antipsychotic drugs do?
Mechanism of action
- Mesolimbic and meso frontal systems (concerned with emotional reactions).
The alpha-adrenergic blockade causes Sedation.
- Anti-dopaminergic drugs cause the EPS (Extrapyramidal Symptoms)
- Atypical antipsychotics have anti serotonergic (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT) and adrenergic and antihistaminic actions. These are therefore called serotonin-dopamine antagonists.
Antipsychotic drugs are used to treat...
Treat organic psychiatric disorders
Treat functional disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Schizoaffective disorders
- Paranoid disorders
Read: Is Schizophrenia a Disability?
Treat mood disorders
- Mania
- Major depression with psychotic symptoms
Also read: What Is Mood Disorder?: Types, Symptoms, Causes, And Treatment
Treat childhood disorders
Treat neurotic and other psychiatric disorder
- Anorexia nervosa
- Intractable obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Severe, intractable and disabling anxiety
Treat medical disorders
- Huntington’s chorea
- Intractable hiccough
- Nausea and vomiting
- Tic disorder
- Eclampsia
- Heatstroke
- Severe pain in malignancy Tetanus
Contraindications
- Parkinsonism
- hepatic dysfunction
- glaucoma
- QT prolongation
- CNS depression
- bone marrow depression
- hypotension
Side effect of antipsychotic drugs
- Extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS)
- Nausea; GI upset
- Skin rash
- Sedation
- Orthostatic hypotension
- Photosensitivity
- Hormonal effects
- ECG changes
- Reduction of seizure threshold
- Agranulocytosis
- Hypersalivation
For further reading:
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