First, and the most important is antipsychotic medication. It includes the classic antipsychotic drugs and new generation of antipsychotic medication.
Chlorpromazine, haloperidol and thioridazine are the classic antipsychotic drugs. They have importend side effects, such as: heart palpitations, akathisia, constipation, dry mouth, urinary retention, sexual problems, dizziness, muscle twitches and tics. Because of this annoying side effects, this class of medication was replaced with the new generation of antipsychotic medication.
Risperidone (Risperdal), olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel), ziprasidone (Geodon) and aripiprazole (Abilify) are the most used medications from the new generation. They don’t have side effects of the classics one, but they have side effects to, and these are: diabetes and heart disease predisposition and weight gain.
Antipsychotic medication is split in two types: pills and injectable medication.
Antianxiety medication is very used in schizophrenia treatment because anxiety is a common and annoying symptom at this patients. Once this problem is solved, patients can appear as normal persons, with a normal life and who can work and do almost everything they where doing before. So, depression is less a problem, and we avoid using antidepressants medication.
If is necessary, we can use other medication to reduce side effects of antipsychotic medication, but only if is imperious necessary, because this medication can have side effects too.
In present are used both classic and new antipsychotic medication. The classic antipsychotic are used because they treat very well delusions, hallucinations, and confusion of schizophrenia.
Even antipsychotic medication is used with great results, sometimes is not enough. As an alternative, group therapy, family therapy and individual psychotherapy are used.
With the support of antipsychotic medication and psychotherapy, patients with schizophrenia can live almost a normal life, and only a small part of them need to be treated in special medical centers.
Visit my Schizophrenia website for more information on this subject. Also, don't forget to check out the History Of Schizophrenia page.
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