Previously, clinicians worked with antipsychotic drugs (conventional or typical) that almost invariably caused extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) at clinically effective doses. This led to the false impression that all antipsychotics were the same, and that EPS were an unavoidable consequence of effective antipsychotic therapy. EPS adversely impact several aspects of antipsychotic efficacy and toler...

Antipsychotic medications have been first line treatment for schizophrenia for half a century, yet few studies have assessed outpatient maintenance treatment in large populations. This article describes oral antipsychotic dosing patterns and psychotropic treatments using computerized Medicaid claims data for individuals who were diagnosed with schizophrenia and received treatment on an outpatie...

OBJECTIVE To perform a retrospective survey of discharge medications at a tertiary care psychiatric facility and to assess the incidence of antipsychotic polypharmacy. METHOD This is a retrospective survey that used the Department of Pharmacy's computer database to obtain relevant discharge information on all nongeriatric patients with schizophrenia discharged from Riverview Hospital between ...

BACKGROUND Analysis of the prescribing patterns of antipsychotic drugs can improve therapeutic outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prescribing pattern of antipsychotics and its conformance to international treatment guidelines. METHODS A cross sectional study at primary psychiatric centers was carried out. Patients' medical files were used to obtain demographic, medication...

Diabetes and atypical antipsychotic agents John Newcomer (St. Louis, MO) discussed changes in adiposity and insulin sensitivity with the atypical antipsychotic agents ziprasidone, risperidone, aripiprazole, quetiapine, clozapine, and olanzapine, addressing the diabetes risk seen during treatment. Among persons with schizophrenia, approximately half are obese, half to three-quarters smoke, 10– 1...

Use of antipsychotic agents has been associated with hyperprolactinemia, or elevated prolactin levels; this hormonal abnormality can interfere with the functioning of reproductive, endocrine, and metabolic systems. As antipsychotic agents are increasingly used for both United States Food and Drug Administration-approved and nonapproved indications, many individuals are at risk for developing an...

P HARMACEUTICALS ARE UNDENIABLY ONE OF THE CORNERSTONES OF MODern medicine. Appropriately used, many pharmaceutical agents can provide powerful health improvements and tremendous value for money in the health-care system. Despite this remarkable promise, pharmaceuticals have important characteristics that necessitate careful appraisal of their safety, effectiveness and economic value, both befo...