Biological therapies - drug treatment Flashcards
What are antipsychotics?
Drugs used to reduce the intensity of symptoms, in particular the positive symptoms of psychotic symptoms such as schizophrenia
How can antipsychotics be administered?
as a pill, syrup or via an injection
What are the two types of antipsychotics?
Typical and A-typical
What are typical/conventional antipsychotics? (how do they work?)
They work by reducing the effects of dopamine, they’re known as dopamine antagonists because the bind to dopamine receptors but do not stimulate them, this blocking their action
What do typical/conventional antipsychotics do?
By reducing the stimulation of dopamine, they reduce the positive symptoms of schizophrenia eg hallucinations/delusions
What is an example of a typical/conventional antipsychotic and what does it do?
Chorprozamine, it is a dopamine antagonist and also a mild sedative used to calm anxious patients with schizophrenia which have just been admitted to hospital
What are the examples of A-typical antipsychotic drugs? What do they do?
CLOZAPINE is used when other treatments have failed
It works on the dopamine system but only temporarily occupies D2 receptors and then rapidly detach to allow normal dopamine transmission - this characteristic means they have less side effects than typical drugs
It also works on serotonin, by controlling its levels and therefore is linked to reducing the negative symptoms of schizophrenia
RISPERIDONE was developed to be as effective as Clozapine but without its serious side effects
