Much like the symptoms andhealth conditionsthey are used to treat, antipsychotic drugs are complicated.
Here are nine things you should know about this powerful class of medication.
Antipsychotics are used to manage a mental health phenomenon known as psychosis.
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Other symptoms include incoherent speech, inappropriate behavior, and overall difficulty functioning.
Anyone can have a psychotic episode, she explains.
Antipsychotics are often prescribed to people with schizophrenia.
Schizophreniais a mental illness that distorts the way people think, feel, and behave, according to theNIMH.
Antipsychotics are the frontline pharmacological treatment for schizophrenia, according to theMayo Clinic.
They are also commonly prescribed to people with bipolar disorder.
Bipolar disorderis characterized by dramatic fluctuations in mood and energy levels.
It is during these periods, called mood episodes, that psychosis can occur, according to theNIMH.
This is usually in combination with a maintenance medication, like amood stabilizer, according to theMayo Clinic.
Antipsychotics help people manage symptoms by affecting neurotransmitters like dopamine.
These drugs dont offer a cure for any condition, Dr. Malaspina explains.
The goal in taking them is to reduce symptoms and improve a persons quality of life.
(Some antipsychotics affect additional neurotransmitters, which well discuss below.)
The full effects may not be seen for up to six weeks, according to theNIMH.
How long the person remains on the medication depends on their underlying condition and other factors.
Its pretty individualized in terms of the duration of treatment, Dr. Malaspina says.
There are two general types of antipsychotics.
Typical antipsychotics, also called first-generation antipsychotics, per theNIMH, appear tomainly affect dopamine.
Because atypical antipsychotics affect neurotransmitters beyond dopamine, they can be used to help treat things other than psychosis.
This means that various SGAs can actually work pretty differently from one another.
While this makes them less predictable than typical antipsychotics, it also makes them more versatile.
For example, they can be used to treat depression not fully managed by antidepressants, per theNIMH.
Typical and atypical antipsychotics may cause different side effects.
These often go away.
But the drugs can also cause serious long-term side effects.
National Library of Medicine.
Sometimes it goes away when the medication dosage drops, but sometimes it remains.
Although tardive dyskinesia can occur with atypical antipsychotics, it is thought to be pretty rare, per theNIMH.
It appears as thoughatypical antipsychotics do this by affecting things like appetite level and metabolism.
If youre taking these medications, you oughta be closely monitored for side effects and persistent symptoms of psychosis.
The safety of antipsychotic use during pregnancy is unclear, so its something to discuss with your doctor.
Scientists arestill studyingthe safety of atypical antipsychotics during pregnancy.
