Drug Therapy - Typical

Question 1

Antipsychotics

Answer 1

Drugs that r effective in treating forms of psychotic illness e.g schiz and bipolar depression
Work by reducing action of nt dopamine in areas of brain associated with symptoms of schiz

Question 2

Typical antipsychotics

Answer 2

Chlorpromazine
Basic mechanism = to reduce effects of dopamine + reduce schiz symptoms

Question 3

Why are typical antipsychotics dopamine antagonists

Answer 3

because bind to but do not stimulate dopamine receptors (d2) in mesolimbic dopamine pathway thus blocking their action
By reducing stimulation of dopamine system in mp, antipsychotic drugs eliminate hallucinations + delusions experienced by people with schiz

Question 4

Time length for drugs to work

Answer 4

Hallucinations + delusions usually diminish within few days of starting meds but symptoms may take several weeks before sig improvement

Question 5

Kapur et al estimation

Answer 5

Between 60-75% of d2 receptors in the mp must be blocked for these drugs to be effective
But to do this a sim number of d2 receptors in other ares of the brain use also be blocked leading to side effects known as extrapyramidal effects