Psychotropic Medications

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Psychotropic Medications

• M.S.A.D. 48
• 6/05

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Defining Abnormality

• Deviant- different, extreme, unusual (norms and
  culture)
• Distressful-- unpleasant, uncomfortable
• Dysfunctional-- disruptive to ones ability to
  conduct daily activities
• Dangerous

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Treatment
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Psychotropic Medications

• Drugs prescribed to stabilize or improve mood,
  mental status, or behavior.

• Some drugs have more than one purpose
• -Tegretol

Caution!
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Naming Medications

• Trade or Brand Name-

• -chosen by the drug manufacturer and picked to be
  memorable/simple (capitalized)

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• Generic Name-
• Typically derived from the chemical structure
  (always lower case)
• Two very different medications can have very
  similar generic names

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Classification of Psychotropic Medications

• By Chemical structure
• By their action in the brain-how they work
• How they are most commonly used in treatment
  (therapeutic action)

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Depression
Antidepressants Elevate Depressed Mood
Class
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Bipolar Disorder

• Reduce mood swings in individuals with manic
  depressive illness.
• Lithonate (lithium)
• -Between 40-60 of patients avoid manic
  recurrences of the disorder
• -Manic relapse 28 times greater if patients stops
  taking
• -Alleviates depressive episodes as well
• -Adverse Effects Lithium intoxication-nausea,
  vomiting, tremor, dizziness, slurred speech,
  seizure, death
• Anticonvulsants
• -Tegretol (carbamazepine), Depakote
  (divalproexsodium)
• -Adverse Effects confusion, memory loss,
  disorientation, bloating, diarrhea

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Anti-Anxiety
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Anti-AnxietyPanic Disorder

• Antidepressants
• Bring at least some improvement to 80 of
  patients with panic disorder
• Help break the cycle of attack, anticipation, and
  fear

• Benzodiazepines
• -Yield quick relief due to rapid onset
• -Xanax (alprazolam)

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Anti-Anxiety(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

• Antidepressants-SSRIs
• -Improved only by antidepressants that increase
  serotonin activity.
• Luvox (fluvoxamine), Paxil (arpxetome), Prozac
  (fluoxetine)

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Antipsychotics

• Interact with CNS and produce changes in either
  mood, consciousness, perception, and/or behavior

Medications
Haldol (haloperidol) Thorazine (chlorpromazine)
Adverse Effects
Anticholinergic Effects (dry mouth, blurred
vision, irregular heartbeat, constipation) Extra
Pyramidial effects Parkinsonian symtoms-slow
motion, rigidity of movement, tremor, shuffling
gait, drooling Tradive Dyskinesia-can develop
with prolonged use-involuntary movements of jaw,
tongue, face, trunk
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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

• Most common psychiatric condition affecting
  children (5-10)
• Simulants
• -Ritalin (methylphenidate), Adderall
  (dextroamphetamine)
• -70-80 of kids with ADHD have significant
  improvement in symptoms
• -Effects produced quickly
• -Adverse Effects sleep difficulty, stomach
  aches, headaches, appetite reduction, drowsiness,
  irritability, nervousness, excessive starring.
  In rare case-nervous tics, hallucinations,
  bizarre behavior