Antipsychotics Typical

Common Meds

• Chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
• Fluphenazine (Prolixin)
• Haloperidol (Haldol)
• Perphenazine (Trilafon)
• Thioridazine (Mellaril)
• Trifluoperizine (Stelazine)

How Do They Work?

• By altering the effect of dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline and acetylcholine.
• This can help to suppress hallucinations, delusions, thought disorder, and extreme mood swings associated with bipolar disorder.

Depot Injections

• Some drugs such as Halperidol can be given as depot injections.
• The medication is slowly released into the body over a number of weeks.
• Doses start out small, then may increase depending on effects.
• Benefit: Pt won't forget to take meds = medication compliancy.

Treatment

• Treatment of acute and chronic psychoses (schizophrenia)
• Acute mania
• Together with other treatments for psychotic depression
• Together with other treatments for alcoholic hallucination
• Tourette’s syndrome ($h!# F*@!)
• Persistent nausea and vomiting (haloperidol, droperidol)

Side Effects

• Black Box - elderly pts with dementia at greater risk of death.
• Dizziness, drowsiness, orthostatic hyptension
• EPS - antiparkinsons (Cogentin)
• NMS
• Needs to be gradually withdrawn

Side Effects cont'd

• Do not use during alcohol withdrawals or when the pt is in a comatose state.
• Avoid use of Kava or St. John's wort as they may increase effects of dystonia.
• Sexual dysfunction, tardive dyskinesia, akathesia, agranulocytosis.

Role of the RN

• Risk for other or self-directed violence
• Risk for injury due to side effects - EPS, sedation, NMS, photosensitivity, etc.

Role of RN cont'd

• Assess for side effect symptoms - EPS
• Education for patient and family
• Stay current on new treatments and biological theories.