Atypical Antipsychotics

Atypical antipsychotics are drugs that are prescribed to treat certain psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia and psychotic depression. They differ from older, "typical" antipsychotics in several ways, including an increased risk of weight gain. However, research now suggests that typical and atypical antipsychotics are more similar than previously thought, although there is still controversy surrounding this.

 

An Overview of Atypical Antipsychotics

Atypical antipsychotics are prescription medications used to treat psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or psychotic depression.
 
There are two basic types of antipsychotics: older, "typical" antipsychotics (also known as first-generation antipsychotics) and newer, "atypical" antipsychotics (also known as second-generation antipsychotics). While there are several important differences between the two, recent research suggests that they may be more similar than once thought.
 
Atypical antipsychotics include:
 

Atypical Antipsychotics and Extrapyramidal Symptoms

Traditionally, it was thought that atypical antipsychotics were less likely than older antipsychotic medications to cause extrapyramidal symptoms, such as:
 
  • Rigidity (muscle stiffness)
  • Unusual body or facial movements
  • Persistent muscle spasms
  • Tremors
  • Restlessness
  • A feeling of internal jitteriness.
     
However, recent research (particularly a study called the "CATIE trial") suggests that older medications may be just as safe and can be tolerated just as well as newer medications, although much controversy still exists on this topic. In the past, older medications were often used at much higher doses than are used currently, which may explain why they appeared to cause more side effects.
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;