Antipsychotics and Drugs Used in the Therapy of Psychiatric Disorders

ANTIPSYCHOTICS AND DRUGS USED IN THE THERAPY OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS... 

Antipsychotics and Drugs Used in the Therapy of Psychiatric Disorders... 

Indications include a wide variety of psychiatric disorders, in the first place schizophrenia, organic psychoses and other acute psychotic illnesses. However they are also of use for the manic phase of bipolar affective disorder and for psychotic depression. Under antipsychotic drug therapy patients become less agitated and restless, withdrawn and autistic patients may become more communicative, aggressive and impulsive behavior diminishes and hallucinations and disordered thinking disappear. 

Haloperidol was introduced for the treatment of psychoses in Europe in 1958 and in the United States in 1967 (Fig. 22.7). it is an effective aiternative to more famiiiar antipsychotic phenothiazine drugs and also is used for the manic phase of bipolar (manic-depressive) disorder. Haloperidol decanoate has been introduced as depot maintenance therapy. When injected every 4 to 6 weeks, the drug appears to be as effective as daily orally administered haloperidol. Other currently available (mostly in Europe) butyrophenones include the very potent spiperone (spiroperidol) as well as trifluperidol and droperidol. Droperidol, a short-acting, sedating butyrophenone, is used in anesthesia for its sedating and antiemetic effects and, sometimes, in psychiatric emergencies as a sedative-neuroleptic. Droperidol often is administered in combination with the potent narcotic analgesic fentanyl for preanesthetic sedation and anesthesia. 

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