Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin 2004;42:57-60; doi:10.1136/dtb.2004.42857
Copyright © 2004 by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation

Which atypical antipsychotic for schizophrenia?

Relevant BNF section: 4.2.1

Until the early 1990s, first-line drug therapy for patients with acute schizophrenia was usually a traditional antipsychotic, such as haloperidol. As recently as 1997, we recommended that newer, so-called 'atypical' antipsychotic drugs, such as olanzapine and risperidone, should be reserved for patients unable to tolerate traditional drugs.^1,2 Now, atypical antipsychotics are widely regarded as better than traditional drugs, being generally less likely to cause troublesome extrapyramidal effects or hyperprolactinaemia.^3,4 Current atypical antipsychotics differ from one another in important respects. Here we consider how important differences in their unwanted-effect profiles may influence the choice between these drugs for patients with schizophrenia.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. P. J. OSBORN, I. NAZARETH, and M. B. KING Risk for coronary heart disease in people with severe mental illness: Cross-sectional comparative study in primary care The British Journal of Psychiatry, March 1, 2006; 188(3): 271 - 277. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. H. Turner Long term outcome of treating schizophrenia BMJ, November 6, 2004; 329(7474): 1058 - 1059. [Full Text] [PDF]