Posted by SLS on August 2, 2016, at 6:26:02
In reply to Why do doctors push antipsychotics so hard?, posted by crabcakebenny on July 27, 2016, at 13:04:11
I'm sorry you have had such bad experiences with "antipsychotics". I guess there is some property in common that these drugs possess that your brain very much dislikes. Maybe there is a clue in their somewhere.
I placed quotation marks around the word "antipsychotics" to emphasize that the newer neuroleptic drugs have properties in addition to dopamine D2 receptor antagonism. They vary from drug to drug. Most are serotonin 5-HT2 antagonists. Some are 5-HT1a partial agonists. Some are D2/D3 partial agonists. Others are 5-HT7 antagonists. Others are D4 antagonists. Still others are norepinephrine reuptake inhitors. Because these modern neuroleptics have such an array of mechanisms, researchers and clinicians found that they treat things other than schizoid and manic illnesses. These include depression, bipolar depression, borderline personality disorder, pervasive development disorders, tics, Tourettes Syndrome, severe nausea, and even hiccups. Hopefully, drugs can designed to strip the D2 antagonism and leave the other therapeutic properties to treat variety of mental illnesses.
Actually, there is one drug that has been around for many years that is a pure 5-HT2a/b/c antagonist. It seems to work as an adjunct to other drugs to treat an array of neurobiological illnesses. It is known as ritanserin. Unfortunately, it has been around *too* long. It is no longer under patent, and no drug company will spend the money to develop it for medical conditions. For now, it is confined to experimental laboratories. The other thing is that, by itself as monotherapy, it doesn't do much. It needs to be combined with other things. Ritanserin is a good drug without an indication.
In summation, "antipsychotics" are nothing more than chemical compounds that work to treat psychotic disorders in addition to other disorders; much like "antidepressants" treat depression in addition to OCD, ADD/ADHD, GAD, social anxiety, panic disorders, incontinence, and chronic pain disorders.
- ScottSome see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:1090899
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20160713/msgs/1091076.html