Meet the relatives: a reintroduction to the clinical pharmacology of ‘typical’ antipsychotics (Part 1)

Abstract

SummaryA number of pragmatic trials have cast doubt on the concept of ‘atypicality’ in relation to antipsychotic drugs, and some commentators have argued that the dichotomy between ‘typical’ (‘first-generation’) and ‘atypical’ ('second-generation’) compounds is artificial and should be abandoned, leaving the entire class of antipsychotics available for consideration in more individualised treatment planning. However, younger psychiatrists now gain little or no experience in the use of older antipsychotics. This is the first of two articles addressing practical issues for consideration in prescribing the older antipsychotics available in the UK. It covers background, including the fundamental clinical action of antipsychotics, the nature of drug licensing and identification of pharmacological parameters that may be of value in prescribing decisions, and discusses the phenothiazines: chlorpromazine, promazine, levomepromazine, pericyazine, perphenazine, trifluoperazine and prochlorperazine.