Risperidone: the search for a better antipsychotic

Risperidone, the latest agent in the continuing search for a better antipsychotic drug, seems to be an important addition to our treatment armamentarium for several reasons. First, risperidone is as effective as traditional antipsychotics for treating schizophrenia and perhaps more effective for treating refractory schizophrenia. Second, and related to the first point, risperidone is effective in the treatment of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Third, risperidone has a superior side-effect profile causing relatively few, if any, EPSEs. Fourth, risperidone may have an antidyskinetic property that, rather than simply not causing tardive dyskinesia, may actually improve those symptoms.