def. psychotropic medication
Psychotropic medication: Any medication capable of affecting the mind, emotions, and behavior. (This “generic” description covers any and all “brain functions” that control, in essence, “who we are” as individual organisms; how we think, behave and feel, as well as the actions these states produce.
Types of Psychotropic Medications
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Several different types of medications are used to treat mental health conditions. The following is a list of the major categories of psychotropic medications: LIVE LINKS BELOW – read about each drug…
- Antipsychotics: These medications are most often prescribed for the treatment of psychotic issues such as schizophrenia. These drugs fall into two categories, typical and atypical antipsychotics.
- Typical antipsychotics include:
- Atypical antipsychotics include:
- Antidepressants are a broad category of psychotropic drugs used for treating depression. There are several different classifications of antidepressants:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): These medications gradually increase the amount of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, in the brain. Common SSRIs include:
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs): A less common variety of antidepressant drugs, MAOIs are often a last option with complex, treatment-resistant depression. Common MAOIs include:
- Emsam (selegiline)
- Marplan (isocarboxazid)
- Nardil (phenelzine)
- Parnate (tranylcypromine)
- Tricyclics (TCAs): These older antidepressant medications have been pushed to the sidelines by newer, generally safer medications. Still, some people do not respond to the new antidepressants, so TCAs may be prescribed. Tricyclic medications include:
- Seretonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs): These medications work by slowly increasing the amount of norepinephrine in the brain. Common SNRIs include:
- Antianxiety/antipanic medications: These medications are used to treat a variety of chronic and acute anxiety issues, from generalized anxiety to panic attacks. Antianxiety and antipanic medications on the market include:
- Stimulants: Typically, stimulants are prescribed to people with attention-deficit hyperactivity (ADHD). They help regulate disorganized thought processes. Psychomotor stimulants include:
- Mood stabilizers: This category of psychotropic medication is typically used to treat intense, repeated shifts in a person’s mood, which may be common for those experiencing bipolar, schizophrenia, or borderline personality. Many mood stabilizer drugs are also commonly categorized as anticonvulsant medications.
Most Frequently Prescribed Psychotropic Drugs
Based on 2013 data, here is a list of the 10 most prescribed psychotropic drugs in the United States (with the number of prescriptions written during one year):
- Xanax (alprazolam), 48.5 million
- Zoloft (sertraline), 41.4 million
- Celexa (citalopram), 39.4 million
- Prozac (fluoxetine), 28.3 million
- Ativan (lorazepam), 27.9 million
- Desyrel (trazodone HCL), 26.2 million
- Lexapro (escitalopram), 24.9 million
- Cymbalta (duloxetine), 18.6 million
- Wellbutrin XL (bupropion HCL XL), 16.1 million
- Effexor XR (venlafaxine HCL ER), 15.8 million
Medication that works well for one person may not work well for another. It is important to have an in-depth conversation about your medical history, symptoms, diagnosis, and goals with your medical provider before beginning a psychotropic medication. You cannot legally purchase psychotropic medication without a prescription. (Which drives individuals who have become “hooked on” psychotropics, but can no longer get prescriptions – or afford the fees imposed by psychiatrists for appointments – to move on to illegal black market drugs to “treat” their psychotropic addiction.)
And then, there are the psychotropic drugs used for “other” conditions.
Pregabalin, marketed under the brand name Lyrica among others, is a medication used to treat epilepsy, neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, and generalized anxiety disorder. Its use for epilepsy is as an add-on therapy for partial seizures with or without secondary generalization in adults. Some off-label uses of pregabalin include restless leg syndrome, prevention of migraines, social anxiety disorder, and alcohol withdrawal. When used before surgery it does not appear to affect pain after surgery but may decrease the use of opioids.
Common side effects include: sleepiness, confusion, trouble with memory, poor motor coordination, dry mouth, problem with vision, and weight gain. Potentially serious side effects include angioedema, drug misuse, and an increased suicide risk. When pregabalin is taken at high doses over a long period of time, addiction may occur, but if taken at usual doses the risk of addiction is low. Pregabalin is a gabapentinoid and acts by inhibiting certain calcium channels.
Parke-Davis developed pregabalin as a successor to gabapentin and was brought to market by Pfizer after the company acquired Warner-Lambert. There is to be no generic version available in the United States until 2018. A generic version is available in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. In the US it costs about 300-400 USD per month. Pregabalin is a Schedule V controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (CSA).
In 2016, Lyrica generated a revenue of some 4.4 billion U.S. dollars. Lyrica is an anticonvulsant drug marketed by Pfizer. In the United States, it is most commonly used for neuropathic pain.
Note the use of a this “psych drug” for nerve pain and many, many “off-label” conditions. No psychiatric diagnosis needed.
Side effects: This is just ONE LIST from pages and pages of side effects for this drug!
Psychiatric side effects of Lyrica: for complete info go to: https://www.drugs.com/sfx/lyrica-side-effects.html
Common (1% to 10%): Confusion, euphoria, amnesia, nervousness, irritability, disorientation, insomnia, libido decreased, disturbance in attention, anxiety, depersonalization, stupor, abnormal thinking
Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Cognitive disorder, mental impairment, abnormal dreams, agitation, apathy, aphasia, hallucinations, hostility
Rare (less than 0.1%): Delirium, delusions, manic reaction, paranoid reaction, personality disorder, psychotic depression, schizophrenic reaction, sleep disorder, disinhibition[Ref]