Antiphyscotic Drugs Essay

Medications are a necessity in dealing with this illness. Anti-psychotics are predominant in the copious amounts of prescriptions that are written for the diagnosed. My experience in the school setting, summer proves to be a season for change as parents use this time to stop or change dosages of medications without doctor advice or approval. Although “regular classes” are not in session, summer school classes can be faced as a challenge when necessary medications have not been taken. I have learned at my practicum site, adult patients in the clinic have taken to self-medicating, adding in marijuana and other street drugs, either in addition or instead of the doctor prescribed medications. Removing one or more drugs from the cocktail that the doctor prescribed can create a windfall of problems for the patients. In stopping and restarting anti-psychotic medication, the patient runs the risk of relapse of symptoms, sometimes worse than they were

Antipsychotics are medications that physicians use to treat psychotic disorders such as Schizophrenia, Delusional disorder, Paraphrenia, and Substance-induced psychotic disorders. These disorders are characterised by the patient’s inability to make good judgments, think with a clear head, communicate effectively, relate to society, and understand reality. Antipsychotic drugs are also useful in the treatment of bipolar conditions that involve extreme cases of manic behaviour. Examples of these drugs include Thorazine and Trilafon. These drugs belong to a drug class called phenothiazines. They work by changing the actions of chemicals in the brain. The drugs can be beneficial, however, Steen et al. (2014) argue that the medicines have several harmful effects such as changes

There are so many different kinds of medications used to treat patients, but the most common ones that psychiatric assistants prescribe exist as antipsychotic and antidepressants. Antidepressants usually relate to a substance that treats mood disorders. Antipsychotic medications usually are taken daily in pills or liquid form. However, some may get injected, which means their only given once or twice a month. The biggest mental disorder that antipsychotic are prescribed for has occurred in patients with schizophrenia. “Schizophrenia is a psychosis characterized by delusions, hallucinations, apathy, and a “split” between thought and emotion.” (Coon & Mitterer 487) “Patients with this disorder tend to have withdrawal from contact with other, a loss of interest in external activities, a breakdown of personal habits, and an inability to deal with daily events.” (486) “Also, it is hard for patients with schizophrenia to focus on one item of information at a time.” (486) Four major types of schizophrenia consist of catatonic, disorganized, paranoid, and undifferentiated. The first type, catatonic, involves disturbances in a person’s movement. Patients with this disorder type tend to just sit there and they do not talk or move. They show no emotion. “The second type, disorganized, or known as “hebephrenic schizophrenia”, patients experience bizarre thinking and flat or grossly inappropriate emotions.” (487) “Typically, this type of schizophrenia develops in adolescence or young adulthood.” (487) “The third type, paranoid, is marked by a preoccupation with delusions or by frequent auditory hallucinations related to a single theme, especially grandeur or persecution.” (488) “Patients think that God, the government, or “cosmic rays from space” are controlling their minds or trying to poison them.” (488) “According to the largest study ever

In 1955, antipsychotic medications were introduced to help mental disorders. These medications are usually taken orally in which help relieve symptoms for periods of days. The misuse or abuse of the medications are low. There are three generations of antipsychotic medications. The first generation is known for reducing hallucinations and delusions, but not affecting problems like disorientation or depression. An example would be chlorpromazine, brand name being Thorazine. Some negative side effects of taking the first generation drugs are Parkinson’s-like symptoms, tardive dyskinesia, and weight gain. Next, the second generation drugs minimized the outcome of the individual getting Parkinson’s-like symptoms. An example of this generation would be Clozaril. “A unique feature of Clozaril is the 1 to 2 percent chance of developing a potentially lethal blood disease called agranulocytosis” (Levinthal 282). This disease decreases white blood cells and affects the immune system. If early signs of this disease start to appear the patient will stop taking Clozaril and recover. Lastly, the third generation has shown to be the most effective on schizophrenia. Abilify is an example of this generation drug. It does not have a risk of Parkinson’s, tardive dyskinesia, or diabetes. Abilify blocks specific serotonin receptors in which prevents negative side effects from happening. These different

Antipsychotic drugs such lithium is one that is commonly prescribed to help reduce anger, threatening behavior, outbursts, and combativeness in ASPD. It alters sodium transport and inhibits neuronal signaling that dials down the activity of hyperactive circuits involved in producing mania (Vallerand, Sanoski, & Deglin, 2017). Lithium dosage is PO in tablets or capsules at 300-600mg TID for adults but precise dosing is based on serum lithium levels. Side effects include polyuria, polydipsia, diarrhea, mild ataxia, leukocytosis, renal toxicity, drowsiness, and weight gain.

As we have seen, treatment of schizophrenia with antipsychotic drugs can have impressive results in terms of decreasing active symptoms, although it does nothing to alleviate negative symptoms or to improve cognitive functioning. Unfortunately, this kind of treatment has the drawback of extremely serious and even fatal side-effects. Newer generation atypical antipsychotics offer more hope, as they can treat both active and negative symptoms, and also improve cognitive functioning. Moreover, they have fewer side-effects. However, treatment is complicated by the fact that results are unpredictable; and in addition the side-effects that they do have can be very serious, such as diabetes, which in itself is life-threatening. However, as the potential side-effects are known, the physician has leeway to choose a drug which is a good match for the patient’s clinical profile. Then, once the patient’s symptoms have been much alleviated with an appropriate newer generation atypical antipsychotic, the patient should be able to also benefit from a range of psychotherapeutic interventions. It is argued that this is the best treatment regime to choose, as it is likely to result in the greatest improvement in quality of life, coupled with the lowest risk of potentially devastating side-effects, or of death. This is likely to be better than utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy, the results of which are not reliably known – although research has certainly shown that it is less efficacious

Prolonged use of certain medications can lead to the development of other illness in not only children but adults as well. Certain medications are hard for your body to filter and can cause organ damage; such as liver damage. In addition, some behavioral modification medicines can cause increases or decreases in body weight. In extreme cases it can lead to obesity or the development of an eating disorder that can form lifelong eating

Ghrelin, commonly referred to as the “hunger hormone,” is a 28-amino acid peptide that has many important roles in human digestion including regulation of growth hormone release, enhancement of appetite, and increase of food intake (1). This gut-derived peptide could play an extremely important role in the altered eating behaviors of patients with eating disorders. Increased fasting plasma ghrelin levels have been consistently reported in underweight patients with anorexia nervosa. Circulating levels of this hormone have also been found to be enhanced in symptomatic bulimic patients, while also being blunted in response to balanced meals (4).

I learnt that using anti-psychotics is just a component of a holistic approach to a patient with psychotic illness and that care should also include psychological treatments

Schizophrenia is a life-long disorder that affects about one percent of the population (Mueser & McGurk, 2004). The cause of this mental illness is still unclear. Studies have suggested that Schizophrenia does not arise from one factor but from a combination of genetic, environmental, and social factors (Liddle, 1987). People diagnosed with Schizophrenia struggle to deal with a multitude of symptoms that make it difficult to function (Mueser & McGurk, 2004). Antipsychotic medications are a popular treatment of the symptoms of Schizophrenia (Mueser & McGurk, 2004). Research is constantly being done to develop these medications to enhance the quality of life of those diagnosed with Schizophrenia.

Traditional antipsychotics are good at reducing the positive symptoms, but do not reduce the negative symptoms and are classified in low-potency and high-potency which can cause many side effects like; dry mouth, tremors, weight gain, muscle tremors, stiffness, motor disturbances, parkinsonian effects, akathisia, dystonia, akinesia, tardive dyskinesia, and neuroleptic malignant syndrome.

Antipsychotic – Psychotropic drugs are often used for neurochemical problems, behavioral problems, schizophrenia, and other mental disorders. These drugs sometimes cause side effects

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is a neurotransmitter in the brain that has an enormous influence over many brain functions. It is synthesized, from the amino acid L-tryptophan, in brain neurons and stored in vesicles. Serotonin is found in three main areas of the body: the intestinal wall; large constricted blood vessels; and the central nervous system. The most widely studied effects have been those on the central nervous system. The functions of serotonin are numerous and appear to involve control of appetite, sleep, memory and learning, temperature regulation, mood, behavior (including sexual and hallucinogenic behavior), cardiovascular function, muscle contraction, endocrine regulation, and

Obesity is a disorder of the Endocrine System. Obesity means having too much body fat, it occurs over time when more calories are eaten than being use. The balance between calories-in and calories-out differs for each person. Factors that might affect weight consist of your genetic makeup, overeating, eating high-fat foods, and not being physically active. Furthermore, several endocrine abnormalities are reported in obesity. Some of these abnormalities are considered as contributory factors for the development of obesity, whereas others are considered to be secondary effects of obesity and usually are restored after weight loss. Thyroid hormones usually are normal in obesity, with the exception of T3 which is elevated. Prolactin is normal but prolactin response to different stimuli is dulled. GH is low and GH response to stimuli is dulled. IGF-I levels are normal or elevated. Cortisol, ACTH, and urine free cortisol levels are usually normal; however, a hyperresponsiveness of the HPA axis with increased cortisol and ACTH response to stimulatory tests is observed in extremely obese individuals.

Your appetite (and the amount of food you eat) is regulated by several hormone-like substances