What Are Neuroleptics?
Neuroleptics are drugs that modify psychotic symptoms, including symptoms of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, delusional disorder and psychotic depression. Some types of neuroleptic drugs are also used to treat non-psychosis disorders such as Tourette syndrome and Asperger syndrome. Neuroleptics are also known as antipsychotics, and the latter term is now preferred by many mental health professionals.
There are two classes of neuroleptic drugs. Typical antipsychotics were discovered and first used in the 1950s, and atypical antipsychotics were developed and used in the 1970s. Atypical neuroleptic drugs generally are regarded as more effective and less likely to cause side effects than typical neuroleptic drugs.
Studies indicate that psychotic episodes are linked to an excess of a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Both typical and atypical neuroleptic drugs work by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain, reducing the activity of dopamine and thus reducing psychosis. Although both classes of drugs work in similar ways, it has been noted that typical antipsychotic drugs are less selective in the types of dopamine receptors they block. It has been suggested that this lack of selectivity is responsible for the increased range and severity of side effects caused by typical neuroleptic drugs.
Neuroleptics are used to treat psychotic disorders and reduce hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, confusion and other severe symptoms. Although neuroleptic drugs can manage such symptoms, these drugs also cause a wide range of unpleasant and even dangerous side effects. These side effects, coupled with the nature of the disorders that the medications treat, lead people who take neuroleptic drugs to sometimes spontaneously stop taking them. Sudden discontinuation can lead to an acute psychotic episode or other dangerous effects.
One possible side effect is tardive dyskinesia, a type of repetitive movement the patient cannot control. Other side effects of neuroleptics include sexual dysfunction or loss of libido, weight gain, an immune system dysfunction called agranulocytosis, drug-induced psychosis and tardive dysphrenia, in which a neuroleptic drug worsens a patient’s condition. Neuroleptic drugs can cause lethargy, hypotension, tachycardia, tremors and muscle rigidity, intense nightmares, reduced short-term memory, increased risk of seizures and pancreatitis. People who take atypical antipsychotics have an increased risk of developing diabetes; the risk is particularly high in people of African descent.
The use of neuroleptics and the effects of long-term use of these drugs on the brain have come under close examination in the early 21st century. Studies indicate that long-term use of antipsychotic medications can change the structure of the brain, such as causing shrinkage of both gray and white matter. The effect that such shrinkage might have on people taking the medication is unclear. Other studies have questioned the overall efficacy of neuroleptic drugs. Despite these issues, third-generation neuroleptic drugs were under development, with the hope of creating more effective drugs with fewer side effects.
Written by Emma Lloyd
