Psychotropic drugs: [2nd part] for a better prescription of antidepressants and antipsychotics

ABSTRACT

The general practitioner needs often, in the daily practice, to prescribe antidepressants for their efficacy in the treatment of depression. Antidepressants target essentially the depressed mood. We currently dispose of many groups of antidepressants based on their mechanism of action. Antidepressants have types of clinical effects. Even though depression remains the specific indication of antidepressants, they are also active in treating other psychiatric and non psychiatric conditions. Antidepressants may show different side effects although new generation components are well tolerated and easily used. Antipsychotics are psycholeptic substances. Their main action is to alleviate psychotic symptoms. There are four main classes of antipsychotics phenothiazines, butyrophenones, benzamids and the atypical antipsychotics. The clinical effects of antipsychotics, are of three type sedative, antipychotic and desinhibitory. The indications of antipsychotics are essentially psychiatric conditions, and they are mainaly meant for psychotic states Antipsychotics side effects are numerous, and of varois frequnce and severity