Medicines/Antipsychotics
Antipsychotics for the treatment of Schizophrenia can be divided into two
groups; the typical group and the atypical group. The typical antipsychotics are
defined as those medicines that were included in the original wave of medicines
created in the 1950's that were first effective in treating positive symptoms of
schizophrenia. Now they are considered the conventional neuroleptics with a
behavioral profile quite distinct from the atypical group. The atypical drugs,
the drugs developed more recently, have been able to alleviate positive,
negative, and even cognitive symptoms to varying degrees. These drugs, although
behaviorally distinct from the typical group, consist of individual drugs each
with distinct differences as well.
The following discussion of the antipsychotics includes the receptors within the
body where the drug acts, the side effects known for each drug, and experiments
related to the efficacy and benefits of these drugs.