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Now that we are comfortable with the second-generation antipsychotics regarding their efficacy, let’s look at what separates them.  Most feel it is the side effect profiles that separate these drugs.  We’ll discuss the major parameters that separate this class of drugs. Side effect management is extremely important especially in...

ATYPICAL ANTIPSYCHOTICS (Second generation Antipsychotics) DOSAGE EQUIVALENTS AND SIDE EFFECTS FOR “ATYPICAL” ANTIPSYCHOTICS Antipsychotic Drug Usual Adult Dose Available strengths Sed EPS AC Weight gain Clozapine (Clozaril®) 1989 300-900mg 12.5,25, 50,100 high none high Very high Risperidone (Risperdal®) 1993 4-16mg 0.25,0.5,1, 2,3,4mg low high none Mod Olanzapine (Zyprexa®) 1996...

This class of drugs as discussed last week is responsible for the emptying out of the state mental hospitals.  My wife Denise volunteered at the Hollidaysburg State Mental Hospital and described the patients all had the same appearance.  All of them smoked, had yellow tar stained fingers and hair...

Most of the over 50 crowd remembers the State Mental Hospital in Hollidaysburg, currently the site of the Veterans Home. As the care of the mentally ill changed from hospital care to outpatient care, the patient population dwindled until a decision was made in the 1970s to shut it...

We now wrap up the antidepressants by discussion how to switch between the drugs if one drug causes side effects or doesn’t seem to be effective enough.  Your Thompson Pharmacist is a great resource to help your physician to navigate between the therapeutic classes of antidepressants that we have...

This column wraps up a very long journey through the antidepressants.  These last three drugs don’t seem to get used a lot primarily due to the costs.  With aripiprazole (Abilify) and buspirone (Buspar) being so cheap most insurance companies want patients to try and fail on a traditional antidepressant...

This column is a “catch all” of the older miscellaneous drugs. All are available generically, and the newest one is 25 years old.  What I love about this column all these drugs were introduced after I graduated pharmacy school in 1981.  We dispensed a lot of Desyrel® until the...

MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)  block monoamine oxidase, an enzyme in the synaptic cleft that breaks down neurotransmitters in the brain. MAOIs are very seldom used due to side effects and life-threatening drug interactions: Hypertensive crisis: extreme increases in blood pressure when MAOIs interact with OTC...