Endocrine side effects of second generation antipsychotics: is it rule or exception?

Altınbaş, K. (2005) Endocrine side effects of second generation antipsychotics: is it rule or exception? Anatolian Journal of Psychiatry (Anadolu Psikiyatri Dergisi), 6 (4). pp. 259-266.

Full text available as:

PDF - Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or other PDF viewer. 308 Kb

Abstract

Objective: Although, novel antipsychotics welcomed with great enthusiasm a decade ago by psychiatric community, mainly because of the extrapyramidal (EPS) side effects of classical antipsychotics; lights were getting dimmed a bit in the last couple of years. As the use of second generation antipsychotics (SGA) was getting higher, more data collected about the previously unexpected side effects. One of the interesting side-effects of SGAs is metabolic problem, which is indeed, very rare with classical antipsychotic treatment with the exception of hyperprolactinemia. This review is planned to shed light on the endocrine side effects of SGAs. Methods: PubMed and ProQuest electronic database were searched for a comprehensive review and Turkish literature was also checked. Results and Discussion: SGAs have equal efficacy on positive symptoms, greater effects on negative symptoms, cognitive functions and quality of life comparing to classical antipsychotics. Another privilege of these drugs is the negligible EPS side effects. On the other hand, endocrine side effects like weight gain, glucose and lipid metabolism dysregulations and hyperprolactinemia, which is also in common with the classical ones, are the Achilles’ ankle of these novel antipsychotics, which should especially be considered in the long-term treatment. Therefore, monitorization of the endocrine side effects and metabolic parameters is highly recommended during the treatment with SGAs.

Archive Staff Only: edit this record