New, Approved Drug to Treat Both Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder 1 are both mental illnesses and can sometimes be confused with each other. In actuality, schizophrenia is actually a group of brain disorders that can cause delusions, disordered thinking and hallucinations, while bipolar 1 disorder is characterized by mood instability and involves manic moods, with or without subsequent depressive episodes. Even though these are two highly different kinds of mental illness, the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has approved a new antipsychotic drug that can be used to treat both schizophrenia and bipolar 1.

The new, antipsychotic drug is called Saphris, and was created by Schering-Plough. This is the first time a psychotropic has been approved for both schizophrenia and bipolar 1. The reason Saphris can treat both illnesses is due to it acting on specific dopamine and serotonin receptors.

Saphris is an ‘atypical antipsychotic’, meaning that it must carry a black box warning from the Food and Drug Administration. A black box warning indicates that taking the drug may cause serious adverse or life threatening effects. Saphris is labeled black box because it can be harmful if used by elderly people with dementia-related psychosis. Unlike most antipsychotic drugs, Saphris does not carry cardiovascular safety concerns.
In clinical trials, patients with schizophrenia showed significant improvements in symptoms when taking Saphris and reported only mild side effects, such as drowsiness, oral sensitivity, and the inability to sit still. Patients with bipolar 1 disorder also saw a reduction in their symptoms and reported minor side effects such as weight gain, dizziness, movement disorders and drowsiness.






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