Schizophrenia: A Handbook For Families

Table of Contents

Appendix I: Common Anti-Psychotic Medications

Five different chemical families of anti-psychotic drugs are used in most developed countries. Below are the families and the more common drugs in each family. You will note that each drug has two names: one is the official name for that chemical compound, the generic name; the other is the brand name used by the pharmaceutical companies. The correct dosage for your relative may be quite different from the amount another patient requires. That is why it may take some time to find the right amount to stabilize your relative.

Courtesy of the World Schizophrenia Fellowship (July 1990)

** Addendum To Appendix **

Note: Clozapine to be available soon in Canada

It is expected that a new neuroleptic drug will be available for schizophrenia patients in Canada in the near future. Called clozapine, it belongs to the didemodiazepene chemical group. It will be marketed by Sandoz Canada Inc., a subsidiary of the giant Swiss drug company that developed it, under the trade name Clozaril.

This new anti-psychotic agent appears to cause fewer side effects (most importantly with respect to tardive dyskinesia) compared with other neuroleptics now available. It also gives better anti-psychotic results for some patients. There is, however, a greater risk of agranulocytosis for a small number. For these, this condition may lead to potentially fatal results, because it affects the immune system by limiting the body's ability to produce white blood cells. To guard against this, the drug's introduction will be accompanied by weekly blood testing for those who take it.