Table 3.
 Atypical (Dopamine-Serotonin Antagonist) Antipsychotics: Overview| Efficacy |
|     Schizophrenia (FDA approved for all) |
|     Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (clozapine) |
|     Mania (FDA approved for olanzapine) |
|     Depression/anxiety/agitation (efficacy established but not FDA approved for these purposes) |
| Side effects |
|     Weight gain |
|     Sedation |
|     Akathisia |
|     Orthostatic hypotension |
|     Dizziness |
|     ↑ Triglycerides |
|     EPS, NMS (rare) |
|     Agranulocytosis (clozapine) (rare) |
|     Seizures (clozapine) |
| Safety in overdose |
|     Seizures with clozapine in overdose. Respiratory depression in combination with other CNS depressants. QT interval changes. Lavage and vital sign support |
| Dosage and administration |
|     Clozapine: 12.5—25 mg; then increase dosage 25—50 mg per week, as needed and tolerated, to 300—600 mg/day |
|     Risperidone: 0.5—1 mg b.i.d. to 3 mg b.i.d. by end of first week, as tolerated |
|     Olanzapine: 2.5—5 mg h.s.; increase by 5 mg every week to 20 mg h.s. |
|     Quetiapine: 25 mg b.i.d.; increase total daily dose by 50 mg, as needed and tolerated, to 300—600 mg/day |
|     Ziprasidone: 20 mg/day or b.i.d.; increase by 20—40 mg per week, to a maximum dosage of 80 mg b.i.d. |
|     Aripiprazole: 15 mg/day; increase up to 30 mg/day after 1 week |
| Full benefits in 4 weeks to 6 months |
| Discontinuation |
|     Mild cholinergic rebound, faster relapse |
|     Taper as slowly as titrated up |
| Drug interactions |
|     Fluvoxamine (1A2 inhibitors): ↑ atypical antipsychotic levels |
|     EtOH: ↑ sedation and orthostasis |
|     Antihypertensives: may ↑ orthostasis |
|     Carbamazepine: ↓ serum levels of olanzapine; contraindicated with clozapine |
|     CNS depressants: ↑ sedation |
| CNS = central nervous system; EPS = extrapyramidal symptoms; EtOH = ethanol; FDA = U.S. Food and Drug Administration; NMS = neuroleptic malignant syndrome |
| Reprinted with permission from Schatzberg AF, Cole J, DeBattista C: Antipsychotic drugs, in Manual of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 4th ed. Arlington, Va, American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc, 2003, pp 188—189. |