Table of Contents
- Sources for Additional Information on Medications
The American
Psychiatric Association's "Guideline For The Treatment Of
Patients With Schizophrenia" states that "Antipsychotic
medications are indicated for nearly all acute psychotic episodes
in patients with schizophrenia."
Independently, you should also note that there is a significant overlap
in terms of the medications for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
(Manic Depression).
There are two main classifications of medications (from a layman's
perspective) the traditional antipsychotic medications (Haldol,
etc.), and the newer, "atypical" antipsychotic medications
that have come out in the past decade (Clozapine, Geodon, Seroquel,
Risperdal, Zyprexa, Abilify, etc.). We recommend you visit our (and
other) on-line support groups to learn what people are saying about
their success and problems with the different medications. We also
recommend you read as much as you can on the medications available,
and talk with a psychiatrist, to identify the medications that may
be appropriate. Keep in mind that while both the older and newer
medications can greatly help a person who has schizophrenia, they
all have significant side effects that vary by person and medication,
and they are unfortunately not yet a cure for schizophrenia.
- General Reading
- Information on free or low-cost medications
provided by pharmaceutical companies
Many pharmaceutical companies have some form of a Patient Assistance
Program (PAP), which are designed to help people without health coverage
or drug benefits obtain their medicines at little or no cost. However,
such programs often are not well advertised, and many doctors do not
even know they exist. The best way to find out if you are eligible
is to use free internet database tools to search for your particular
medications (some of the best ones are listed below), and/or contact
the manufacturing company directly and ask them about PAPs and eligibility
requirements. Although PAPs have different standards of eligibility,
all will require a doctor's consent and signature. It can be difficult
to get your doctor to complete the forms in a timely fashion - to
help the process, fill out as much of them as you can before giving
them to your doctor, make sure to bring all the information he/she
will need with you, emphasize that this assistance is essential if
you are to continue with your treatment, and make sure to acknowledge
that they are busy and thank them for their time.
NAMI has recently started endorsing the Partnership
for Prescription Assistance, a new program that seeks to boost
enrollment in existing Patient Assistance Programs by helping consumers
identify and apply for programs for which they may be eligible. This
may be a good place to start if you are unfamiliar with Assistance
Programs that might work for you - however, we don't yet know how
successful the Partnership is at enrolling people in good programs,
or how much they may charge for their service. If anyone has experiences
to share about the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (good or
bad), please email the schizophrenia.com administration at: [email protected].
Visit their website (http://www.pparx.org) or call 1-888-477-2669
if you are interested.
Free information sites about PAPs - include databases searchable by
state, medication, or company name
Phone numbers and contact information for pharmaceutical companies
in the United States
- Some of the Common Traditional Medications
for Schizophrenia
- Atypical (newer) Medications for Schizophrenia
- Aripiprazole (Abilify)
- Clozaril (clozapine)
- Geodon (ziprasidone)
- Risperdal (resperidone)
- Seroquel (Quetiapine)
- Zyprexa (olanzapine)
- Schizophrenia Medications in Trials Working
towards Release (Not Yet Available to Public)
| Compound |
Trade Name |
Companies |
Method of Action |
FDA Trials Phase |
| iloperidone |
Zomaril |
Titan/Novartis |
D2/5-HT2 antagonist |
Phase III |
| DTA 201A |
|
Knoll (BASF) |
D3 antagonist |
Phase II |
| DU 127090 |
|
Solvay/Lundbeck |
D2/5-HT1a antagonist |
Phase II |
| ORG 5222 |
|
Organon (Akzo Nobel) |
D2/5-HT2 antagonist |
Phase II |
| Osanetant |
|
Sanofi-Synthelabo |
neurokinin-3 antagonist |
Phase II |
| MEM 3454 |
|
Memory
Pharmaceuticals Corp. |
partial agonist of the nicotinic alpha-7 receptor
|
Phase I |
 Schizophrenia
Medications in Development - A Special Report (Dec
2004)
- Sources for Additional Information on Medications
|
|
Early Schizophrenia Diagnosis and Treatment Centers
