The most commonly occurring side effects were postural tachycardia and insomnia.47 Currently, little is known about the most appropriate dosing for this population. Dosages of 200 to 800 mg/day are being reported. More research is needed to ascertain the safety and dosing of quetiapine, especially in the young population. SGAs show great promise in the treatment of psychotic

symptoms in patients who Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical are under the age of 18 for symptom improvement and tolerability. Dosing for clozapine and risperidone in particular E7080 supplier should be initiated and maintained at doses lower than the adult population. All of the SGAs appear to cause weight gain in the adolescent population, which is the biggest drawback to their routine use; this Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical appears to occur most often with olanzapine and clozapine. Informed consent, addressing the rationale for treatment and potential risks and benefits of therapy, should be obtained from the parents/guardians prior to treatment with any antipsychotic medication and assent should be obtained Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical from the children. Standardized clinician rating, such as the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scales (PANSSs) derived from the Children’s Psychiatric Rating Scale, is sensitive to antipsychotic improvements in children and adolescents, and can be helpful in assessing the effects of antipsychotic therapy. Treatment of psychosis in the

elderly Schizophrenic symptoms in late life (>65 years) are generally a result of a chronic illness carrying over from younger life; however, few patients may develop psychotic symptoms de novo.48 Data from the Epidemiological Catchment Area Study49 Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical showed 6-month prevalence rates of schizophrenia in the elderly to be 0.2% to 0.9%. Other illnesses displaying psychotic symptoms are extremely high in this population: 0.1% to 1.6% for psychotic depression and 16.8% to 23% for organic psychosis.49 Additionally, approximately one third of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and vascular dementia experience psychotic Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical symptoms and the majority of data for

antipsychotic use come from treating these medroxyprogesterone disease states.50-53 For institutionalized patients, antipsychotics arc the most widely prescribed psychotropic drugs.54 Because of the widespread and unnecessary use of these agents in the US for this population in the past, Congress passed regulations governing use in 1987 with the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA-87) and the Nursing Home Reform Amendments administered by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). These regulations developed specific standards for allowable dosages and indications for psychotropic drugs in regular and as required (PRN) use.55 Antipsychotics can be safe and effective for the treatment of psychosis if used at lower doses than commonly used in younger adults.