Schizophrenia/Psychosis Flashcards
Positive symptoms:
- Hallucinations: sensing something that is not present, such as imaginary voices (ex. auditory)
- Delusions: ex. paranoia
- Disorganized thinking/behavior: inability to focus attention and communicate.
Negative symptoms:
- flat affect
- anhedonia
- avolition (lack of motivation)
- alogia (decreased thought and speech)
- withdrawal
Increased dopamine can trigger hallucinations or delusions. Up to 50% of patients with PD will…
experience hallucinations or delusions
Antipsychotics primarily block…
dopamine receptors. Newer ones also block serotonin.
Medications/drugs that can cause psychotic symptoms:
- anticholinergics (centrally-acting, high doses)
- dextrometorphan
- dopamine or dopamine agonists (e.g Requip, Mirapex, Sinemet)
- interferons
- stimulants
- systemic steroids (typically with lack of sleep- ICU psychosis)
- Illicit substances (bath salts, cannabis, cocaine, LSD, meth, PCP)
First-gen antipsychotics (FGAs) have a high incidence of EPS…
including painful dystonias (muscle contractions), dyskinesias (abnormal movements), tardive dyskinesias (repetitive, involuntary movements, such as grimacing and eye blinking), and akathisia (restlessness, inability to remain still)
Tardive dyskinesia (TD) can be irreversible; the drug causing the TD should be…
d/c’ed
Olanzapine and benzodiazepines should not be given together…
due to risk of excessive sedation and breathing difficulty
IM antipsychotics are often mixed with other drugs (in “cocktails”), such as…
benzos for anxiolytic/sedative effects, and anticholinergics to reduce dystonias (eg. the “Haldol cocktail” contains haloperidol, lorazepam, and diphenhydramine)
BBW: Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis
increased risk of death from antipsychotics
Low potency FGA: thioridazine
300-800 mg/day, divided. QT prolongation.
Low potency FGA: chlorpromazine
300-1000 mg/day, divided.
Mid potency: loxapine (Loxitane, Adasuve)
30-100 mg/day, divided. Inhalation powder for acute agitation. REMS: bronchospasm. S/s: bad, bitter, or metallic taste in mouth
Mid potency: perphenazine
8-64 mg/day, divided.
High potency: haloperidol (Haldol, Haldol decanoate). Oral, IV, decanoate IM. Class: butyrophenone. Also used for Tourette’s syndrome.
- oral (tablet, solution): start 0.5-2 mg BID-TID (up to 30 mg/day)
- IV: usually 5-10 mg.
- Decanoate (monthly): IM only;
- for conversion from IM to PO, use 10-20x the PO dose
High potency: fluphenazine (tablet, elixir, injectable, IM,)
6-12 mg/day, divided. Decanoate: (Q 2 weeks); IM only
High potency: thiothixene
15-60 mg/day; divided
High potency: trifluoperazine
15-50 mg/day; divided
Lower potency FGAs have…
less sedation, more EPS