8/14/2019 Handy summary chart comparing the main medications for psychosis

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/handy-summary-chart-comparing-the-main-medications-for-psychosis 1/3

8/14/2019 Handy summary chart comparing the main medications for psychosis

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/handy-summary-chart-comparing-the-main-medications-for-psychosis 2/3

8/14/2019 Handy summary chart comparing the main medications for psychosis

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/handy-summary-chart-comparing-the-main-medications-for-psychosis 3/3

 A handy chart to help you compare the medicine treatments to help the symptoms of psychosis

Some of the main side effects *Medicine Usual dose How we think it might work (probably)

How long ittakes to work  Drowsi-

nessMusclestiffness

Weightgain

Dry mouthetc

Sexualproblems

How long youcould or shouldtake it for

How to stop it

Depot and longer-acting injections

Risperidone(RisperdalConsta®)

25-50mg everytwo weeks

Mainly blocksdopaminereceptors

 At least 4weeks beforeany effect,which will thenbuild overseveral weeks

●  ●● ●● ● ●● Risperidone carrieson being releasedfor another 5-7weeks after the lastinjection

Olanzapinepamoate

(Zypadhera®)

210-405mgevery two or

four weeks

●●● ● ●●● ● ●

Zuclopenthixoldecanoate(Clopixol®)

200-500mgevery twoweeks

●● ●● ●●● ●● ●●●

Flupentixoldecanoate(Depixol®)

20-200mgevery twoweeks

Block dopamineand manyotherreceptors ● ●● ●● ●● ●●●

Haloperidoldecanoate

(Haldoldecanoate®)

50-200mg afour weeks

Blocksdopamine

receptors

● ●●● ●● ● ●●●

Fluphenazinedecanoate(Modecate®)

25-100mgevery twoweeks

● ●●● ●● ●● ●●●

Pipothiazinepalmitate(Piportil®)

25-50mg everytwo weeks

Block dopaminereceptors,someserotonin andmany otherreceptors

Usually takes aweek or sobefore it beginsto work 

● ●● ●● ●● ●●●

 As with the otherantipsychotics.See previouspage for morehelp.

Because themedicine isreleased from a

 “depot” overseveral weeks,stopping is not aproblem as themedication slowly

reduces. The mainproblem issymptoms comingback.

The advantages of depot or long-acting injections

• Regular contact with nurses and the service

• You get steady blood levels of the medicine, so any side effects aremore stable

• There is a lower risk of becoming unwell again

• You don’t have to worry about forgetting tablets, or even taking a doubledose by mistake

The disadvantages of depot or long-acting injections

• You get an injection (usually into your bum) every two weeks or so, which can bepainful and distressing

• You can’t stop the drug suddenly (although if you do stop, your blood levels doreduce slowly)

* See other page for more advice about these side effects. These pages come from, and must be used with, www.choiceandmedication.org.uk  V2.02, dated 6.5.10  ©2010 Stephen Bazire, Choice and Medication, Mistura Enterprise Page 3 of 3