The trend and prescribing pattern of atypcal and typical antipsychotic medications in Pusat Perubatan University Malaya (PPUM)

Schizophrenia and depressant are heterogeneous disorder in terms of symptoms, severity, course, and treatment response. Despite evidence of superiority of the second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) over the first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs ), there are still some in the field who argue that FGAs in low doses are equal to SGAs in efficacy and are far less costly. This research examines data comparing typical versus atypical antipsychotics on efficacy, safety and tolerability, and clinical strategies and indications. Possible reasons for still using FGAs include better or equal efficacy; better or equal safety and side-effect profiles; occasional efficacy of combining an FGA and an SGA compared to using either alone; reluctance to change an effective regimen (ie, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," pleas of patients who are doing satisfactorily on an FGA and are fearful of switching to an SGA, especially when they have minimal side effects); and when cost of treatment is a significant concern. Most clinicians who have used both FGAs and SGAs over the long run prefer an SGA unless cost is the primary determinant.