drug therapies a03

• one strength of typical drug therapy is that there is supporting evidence for its effectiveness. Thornley reviewed studies comparing the effects of chlorpromazine to control conditions in which ppt received an active placebo, so their experiences were identical except for the presence of chlorpromazine in their medication. data from 13 trials showed that chlorpromazine was associated with better overall functioning and reduced symptom severity. There was also evidence of lower relapse rates when Chlorpromazine was taken.

  this therefore supports the use of typical antipsychotics for the treatment of schizophrenia

  
  

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  • ethics with an actvie placebo
• One limitation of typical antipsychotics is side effects may outweigh benefits. Typical antipsychotics can produce movement problems for patients, known as extrapyramidal side effects.

  In extreme cases, patients can develop a disorder called tardive dyskinesia, which causes parkinson like symptoms, such as involuntary movement of limbs and the jaw. these side effects and the risks of developing them may cause patients to discontinue their medication, limiting the effect of typical antipsychotics in treating schizophrenia. 1/3 70% unreversible

  Recently, a large out of court settlement was awarded to a tardive dyskinesia patient on the basis of of the Human Rights Act stating ‘no one shall be subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment’ . This suggests that if side effects, deaths and psychological consequences taken into account, a cost benefit analysis of typicals would most probably be negative!
• strength of atypical ispatients experience fewer side effects. For example AT such as quetipane are less likely to produce extrapyramidal effects commonly found with typical antipsychotics. Furthermore, this can decrease the patient's chances of developing tardive dyskinesia. As a result, patients are more likely to continue with their medication, in turn more likely to see a reduction in symptoms. For example a study that supports this is Crossley et al did meta- analysis of 15 studies and found that Atypical drugs had few side effects (relative weight gain) than typical antipsychotics. Furthermore atypical antipsychotics relieve not only positive symptoms but also negative. able to keep taking meds and less likely to relapse symptoms
• limits of a -typical

  : The introduction of atypical antipsychotics led to claims of the superiority of these drugs over the older 'typical' antipsychotics however the Crossley et al. (2010) study concluded there was no evidence for differences in efficacy between atypical and typical antipsychotics, but there was a clear difference in the side-effect profile . Although patients are less likely to experience the extrapyramidal side effects associated with typical antipsychotics, they may still gain weight as a side effect. As a result, this may cause distress to the patient as well as increase their risk of type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. Therefore, patients may still struggle with the side effects associated with atypical antipsychotics which may still have a detrimental affect on their mental and physical health.