The users guide
to prescription drugs
and supplements

Finding the right
medication is important
Let RateADrug help.

Evaluate your current medication
Compare conventional and alternative therapies
Get information without drug company bias

PreMed PREP FAQs About Us Contact Us

|Compare Treatments

|Evaluate Your Treatment

Search for a Treatment

Find Treatments by Condition

Browse by name:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Ba-Bd | Be-Bh | Bi-Bo | Bp-Br | Bs-Bz

Da-Dd | De | Df-Di |Dj-Do | Dp-Dz

Ea-El | Em-Ep | Eq-Es | Et | Eu-Ez

Ha-He | Hf-Hz

Ia-Il | Im-In | Io-Ip | Iq-Iz

La-Ld | Le| Lf-Ln| Lo | Lp-Lz

Na | Nb-Nh | Ni | Nj-Nz

Oa-Op | Oq-Ow | Ox-Oz

Ra-Rd | Re | Rf-Rz

Compare Treatments

Search by Condition

Schizophrenia & Psychotic Disorders treatment

Description

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling mental disorder and a form of psychosis where the patient is not in touch with reality and is marked by severe personality derangements. It is characterized by four major symptoms that include, thought disorder, perception disorder, emotional disturbance; and behavior disorder.

Causes

Biological factors that are genetically inherited because of a family history of schizophrenia; an imbalance in brain chemistry mostly in the levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine; environmental factors during the growth and development of a person, encountering severe forms of mental/emotion stress or physical/mental trauma could be some of the factors that contribute to this me View more...

Prevention

While there are no clear cut methodologies towards preventing schizophrenia; ensuring timely treatment; continued treatment; regular administration of medications; balanced diet rich in vitamin B supplements, folic acid, and omega-3 fatty acids; regular exercise; yoga and meditation; aromatherapy; being occupied in tasks that involve physical and mental activities help improve the symptoms and red View more...

Common Symptoms

There are several symptoms that characterize schizophrenia and the initial symptoms of schizophrenia include a total disruption in the patient’s personal relationships and social life, where the patient withdraws and shies away from interacting with people, participating in social activities, and isolating oneself from all near and dear ones, finally ending up in building illogical thought process View more...

Rare Symptoms

Rare symptoms include auditory and visual hallucinations; delusions; disorientation to place; people; and time; altered speech; paranoia; superhuman strength; superior insights; and catatonic behavior marked by still and motionless postures for hours or sometimes days.

Traditional Treatment

Pharmacological treatment includes administration of antipsychotic medications called neuroleptics. The antipsychotic medications are further classified into two main categories, typical antipsychotic drugs and atypical antipsychotics. Typical antipsychotic medications are considered to have more severe side effects like tremors and muscle spasms when compared to the newer typical antipsychotic medications. Atypical antipsychotics include risperidone or Risperdal; olanzapine or Zyprexa; ziprasidone or Geodon; quetiapine or Seroquel; and aripiprazole or Abilify. Typical antipsychotics include haloperidol; chlorpromazine; thioridazine or Mellaril; trifluoperazine or Stelazine; and thiothixene or Navane. In addition to the above another medication called clozapine or Clozaril is found to be extremely effective when compared to other medications. It helps overcome both the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia and has decreased side effects; however, the only drawback is the high risk of agranulocytosis characterized by suppression of white blood cells; therefore it is not a popular choice as a first line treatment. Since treatment needs to be long term medications that server this purpose include haloperidol deconate or Haldol Decanoate; fluphenazine deconate or Prolixin Decanoate; and Risperdal Consta. In addition to the above other medications used in the treatment of schizophrenia include lithium and the benzodiazepines.
Medication can also be complemented with other forms of treatment like psychotherapy; and the three main types of psychotherapy are: behavioral therapy; where prevailing behavior patterns are studied and rectified; cognitive therapy and this works on changing the thought pattern of the patient and introduces fresh and positive approach in thought and response; and interpersonal therapy where the primary focus is on social skills especially interpersonal skills of the patient and his or her relationships both personally and professionally. It has been noted that in patients suffering from schizophrenia, a combination of cognitive and behavior therapy in conjunction with medication shows good results.
In addition to the above treatment, electroconvulsive therapy or ECT and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are found to be equally safe and effective; however, medication should be administered as per physician advice for best results. View more...

Alternative Treatment

Homeopathic medicine for schizophrenia includes, Lachesis, Ars-alb, Aurum-met, Hyoscyamus, Lycopodium, Pulsatilla, Stramonium, Sulphur, Aconite, Belladona, Ignatia, Merc-sol, Psorinum, Rhus-tox, Anacardium, Calc-carb, Causticum, Cimicifuga, Helleborus, Kali-brom, Natrum-sulph, Opium, Sepia, Aurum-mur, Cannabis-indica etc.
Herbal remedies which can act as a supplement to medication and psychother View more...

Treatment Comparison

Choose a Condition:

Show results for:

Brands	Effectiveness	Holistic Benefits	Side Effects	Number of Ratings
Clozapine	8.67	8.23	7.9	3
Fanapt	5	5.69	4.68	14
Amisulpride	2.4	5.37	6.6	10
Abilify	2.4	2.85	5.56	5
Penfluridol	0	0	0	0
Risperdal	-3.25	1.31	7.66	4

View All	About these Scores
	Choose a condition to compare treatments based on user feedback. You can sort by Effectiveness, Holistic Benefits or Side Effects RateADrug user scores, or the number of Ratings. Scores gain significance with the number of ratings, so please share your experiences - rate your drug! Close