BACKGROUND Atypical antipsychotics provide better control of the negative and affective symptoms of schizophrenia when compared with conventional neuroleptics; nevertheless, their heightened ability to improve cognitive dysfunction remains a matter of debate. This study aimed to examine the changes in cognition associated with long-term antipsychotic treatment and to evaluate the effect of the ...

CONTEXT Antipsychotic treatment is the first-line treatment option for schizophrenia. Individual studies suggested they can significantly affect brain structure and account for progressive brain changes observed during the illness. OBJECTIVES To quantitatively examine the effect of antipsychotics as compared to illness related factors on progressive brain changes in schizophrenia. DATA SOUR...

OBJECTIVE To review the role of oral atypical antipsychotic drugs in the management of the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). DATA SOURCES Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Reference lists were reviewed and experts were contacted to identify additional trials. STUDY SELECTION Double blind randomised controlled trials that evaluated the four oral atypical ant...

BACKGROUND: The potential cardiotoxicity of antipsychotic drugs is well known. The N-terminal fragment of B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is considered to be a possible biomarker in clinical practice for the diagnosis and prognosis in patients with suspected heart failure. This pilot evaluation tests the influence of antipsychotic drugs on NT-proBNP concentration in view of the hypothesi...

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...

The large majority of individuals with a first episode of schizophrenia will experience a remission of symptoms within their first year of treatment. It is not clear how long treatment with antipsychotic medications should be continued in this situation. The possibility that a percentage of patients may not require ongoing treatment and may be unnecessarily exposed to the long-term risks of ant...

The characteristics of new antipsychotic drugs (atypical antipsychotic drugs) and their effective use are discussed. Atypical antipsychotic drugs can be considered modified drugs that resulted when the dopamine D2 receptor-blocking effect of typical antipsychotic drugs was either lowered in affinity or combined with effects on other receptors (serotonin 5-HT2A receptor-blocking effect in partic...

Neuropsychiatric symptoms are common in older adults with dementia and can be associated with a rapid decline in cognitive and functional status. This article reviews the current literature supporting the use of atypical antipsychotic medications in this population. Among the currently available atypical antipsychotics, risperidone and olanzapine have been the most widely studied in double-blin...

RATIONALE The effect of long-term treatment with the atypical antipsychotic clozapine on the serum amino acid profile in schizophrenia patients has not previously been studied. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare serum amino acid patterns in patients on long-term clozapine treatment with long-term conventional antipsychotic treatment, and their relationships to insulin resistance ...

Classic chlorpromazine (CPZ) equivalents can be used to chart relative antipsychotic potencies of antipsychotic drugs. Values of CPZ equivalents per drug are ambiguous in literature. In drug use evaluation studies, antipsychotic doses are frequently compared by use of the defined daily dose (DDD). The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug if used for its main indication...