[Clinical use of psychotropic drugs: A look at antipsychotic drugs]

Antipsychotic drugs were originally developed to treat the positive symptoms of schizophrenia (e.g., delusions, hallucinations). Nowadays, antipsychotic drugs are also commonly used in the treatment of geriatric patients, especially those suffering from dementia. When treating behavioural symptoms of dementia, the use of antipsychotic drugs should not be first choice and when they do present the best treatment option, they should not be used long-term. Patients suffering from schizophrenia, on the other hand, may require long-term treatment with antipsychotic drugs in order to avoid relapse. In the following, the use of antipsychotic drugs in the treatment of schizophrenia and behavioural symptoms in dementia according to the respective treatment guidelines will be explained. In addition, the pharmacological receptor profiles of frequently used antipsychotic drugs (e.g., risperidone, haloperidol, quetiapine, aripiprazole) are presented and the expected adverse drug reactions, such as extrapyramidal symptoms and hyperprolactinemia, are explained. Treatment options of the most common adverse drug reactions associated with antipsychotic drugs are also presented.