THIOTHIXENE

brands

Class

• Conventional antipsychotic (neuroleptic, thioxanthene, dopamine 2 antagonist)

THIOTHIXENE commonly prescribed for

(Bold for FDA approved)

How THIOTHIXENE works

• Blocks dopamine 2 receptors, reducing positive symptoms of psychosis

How long until THIOTHIXENE works

• Psychotic symptoms can improve within 1 week, but it may take several weeks for full effect on behavior

Notable Side Effects

• Neuroleptic-induced deficit syndrome

• Akathisia

• Drug-induced parkinsonism

• Tardive dyskinesia

• Risk of potentially irreversible involuntary dyskinetic movements may increase with cumulative dose and treatment duration

• Galactorrhea, amenorrhea

• Sedation

• Dry mouth, constipation, vision disturbance, urinary retention

• Hypotension, tachycardia

• Rare fine lenticular pigmentation

Life Threatening Side Effects

• Rare neuroleptic malignant syndrome may cause hyperpyrexia, muscle rigidity, delirium, and autonomic instability with elevated creatine phosphokinase, myoglobinuria (rhabdomyolysis), and acute renal failure

• Rare seizures

• Rare blood dyscrasias

• Rare hepatic toxicity

• As a class, antipsychotics are associated with an increased risk of death and cerebrovascular events in elderly patients with dementia; not approved for treatment of dementia-related psychosis

weight gain

unusual

sedation

not usual

What to do about THIOTHIXENE side effects

• Wait

• Wait

• Wait

• For drug-induced parkinsonism, add an anticholinergic agent

• Beta blockers, benzodiazepines, or serotonin 2A antagonists (e.g., mirtazapine, cyproheptadine) may reduce akathisia

• For sedation, take at night

• Reduce the dose

• Switch to an atypical antipsychotic

• Weight loss, exercise programs, and medical management for high BMIs, diabetes, dyslipidemia

• Metformin may help prevent or reverse antipsychotic-induced weight gain

usual dosage range

• 15–30 mg/day

Dosage Forms

• Capsule 2 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg

long term use

• Should periodically reevaluate long-term usefulness in individual patients, but treatment may need to continue for many years

habit forming

• No

Renal Impairment

• Use with caution

Hepatic Impairment

• Use with caution

Cardiac Impairment

• Thiothixene may cause or aggravate ECG changes

• Use in patients with cardiac impairment has not been studied, so use with caution because of risk of orthostatic hypotension

• Use with caution if patient is taking concomitant antihypertensive or alpha 1 antagonist

Elderly

• Some patients may tolerate lower doses better

• Although conventional antipsychotics are commonly used for behavioral disturbances in dementia, no agent has been approved for treatment of elderly patients with behavioral symptoms of dementia such as agitation

• Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotics are at an increased risk of death compared to placebo, and also have an increased risk of cerebrovascular events

Children and Adolescents

• Safety and efficacy have not been established in children under age 12

• Generally consider second-line after atypical antipsychotics

Pregnancy

• Controlled studies have not been conducted in pregnant women

• There is a risk of abnormal muscle movements and withdrawal symptoms in newborns whose mothers took an antipsychotic during the third trimester; symptoms may include agitation, abnormally increased or decreased muscle tone, tremor, sleepiness, severe difficulty breathing, and difficulty feeding

• Reports of drug-induced parkinsonism, jaundice, hyperreflexia, hyporeflexia in infants whose mothers took a phenothiazine during pregnancy

• Psychotic symptoms may worsen during pregnancy and some form of treatment may be necessary

• Atypical antipsychotics may be preferable to conventional antipsychotics or anticonvulsant mood stabilizers if treatment is required during pregnancy

• Thiothixene should generally not be used during the first trimester

• Thiothixene should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed

Breast Feeding

• Unknown if thiothixene is secreted in human breast milk, but all psychotropics are assumed to be secreted in breast milk

• Recommended either to discontinue drug or bottle feed