Ruchi Vyas

Antipsychotic Side-effect Profile: Focus on Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome Ruchi Vyas

Neuroleptic drugs are not curative and do not eliminate the fundamental thinking disorder, but they often decrease the intensity of hallucinations and delusions and permit the psychotic patient to function in a supportive environment. Side-effects of antipsychotic drugs contribute as a barrier in treatment therapy. Since the introduction of the second generation or atypical antipsychotics, these agents have been widely prescribed for the management of patients with schizophrenia. Side effects of antipsychotic medications can often be treated by changing the dose of the medication, switching to a different medication, or treating the side effect directly with an additional medication. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome is an emergency, and can lead to death if untreated. Unfortunately, symptoms are sometimes misinterpreted by doctors as symptoms of mental illness, delaying treatmentIf it is recognized early enough, It is not fatal, but still, 10% of cases do result in patient death.