Posted by Life2.0 on March 10, 2002, at 23:26:18
In reply to Re: Antipsychotics for sleep/anxiety? Should beBenzos , posted by Essence on March 9, 2002, at 17:36:52
To answer your question Essence, EPS stands for extrapyramidal side effects. This class of side effects is conventionally associated with older anti-psychotics (neuroleptics):Haloperidol, Chlorpromazine, Thioridazine, etc., that were used in high doses to treat schizophrenia. A good definition of EPS taken straigh of the Internet is
"...movement disorders thought to be caused by blockade of dopaminergic neurotransmission in the nigrostriatal pathway. They include parkinsonism, akathisia (a subjective feeling of inner restlessness and inability to sit or stand still), dystonia (slow, sustained muscular contractions or spasms), and tardive dyskinesia (abnormal, involuntary, irregular muscle movements, especially around the face and mouth) a rare abnormality which can develop after prolonged exposure to conventional neuroleptics and can become irreversible...."
http://www.futur.com/edu-info/compliance/leaf1/phr_1b.stmThese side effects are scary to read about, but from what I've read here and elsewhere, the so-called novel anti-pyschotics APs like Risperidone and Olanzapine have a much lower risk of EPS because they are very selective on the dopamine receptors they act on, and they also block serotonin neurotransmission. The same article I quoted goes on to state that sulpiride a relatively older but more selective AP, causes far less EPS than the conventional APs.
My current med cocktail includes 300mg of sulpiride. When I first started taking sulpiride it helped tremendously with my insomnia. It stopped the recurrent and obsessive thoughts that were preventing me from sleeping and allowed to to sleep properly for the first time in almost a year. If your insomnia is of this type then an AP may be right for you. I totally disagree with OldSchool's labelling of APs as 'dangerous'. The novel APs have helped quite a few people on PB. I'v been taking 300mg sulpiride along with a benzo (first lorazepam and then clonazepam) for almost a year and I've almost completely eliminated my sleep problems, with no side effects, EPS or otherwise.
L20
poster:Life2.0
thread:94556
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020307/msgs/97414.html