Pultizer Prize-winning American columnist Jimmy Breslin wrote a front page feature story on Melanie Cane the author of Poisoned Love. Click on the icon to read Jimmy Breslin's cover story:
Antipsychotics
Antipsychotics are a group of drugs commonly, but not exclusively, used to treat psychosis, which is typified by schizophrenia. The first group of antipsychotics, referred to as typical antipsychotics, was discovered in the 1950s. Most of the drugs in the second generation, known as atypical antipsychotics, have been more recently developed. Both classes of drugs tend to block receptors in the brain’s dopamine pathway, but antipsychotic drugs encompass a wide range of receptor specificity. There are also dopamine partial agonists which are often categorized as atypicals. Typical antipsychotics are also sometimes referred to as major tranquilizers, because some can tranquilize and sedate.
Typical antipsychotics, otherwise known as first generation antipsychotics, include the Butyrophenone, Haldol, the phenothiazines such as Thorazine and Fluphenazine (Prolixin), Stelazine, and Mellaril, and the Thioxanthenes. In my book, Poisoned Love, I researched the antipsychotics and chose to use Prolixin as a poison.
Atypical antipsychotics (second generation), include Clozapine, Olanzipine (Zyprexa), and Risperidone.
Both typical and atypical antipsychotics are sometimes used to help reduce impulsive and reckless behavior.
Third generation antipsychotics include Apriprazole (Abilify) whose action is thought to reduce susceptibility to metabolic symptoms seen in some other atypical antipsychotics.
Common conditions with which antipsychotics might be used beside schizophrenia, include, mania and delusional disorder. Antipsychotics may be used in mood disorder like bipolar disorder even when no signs of psychosis are present. In addition, antipsychotics are used to treat non-psychotic disorders. For example, some anitpsychotics are used off-label to treat Tourettes syndrome and Asperger’s syndrome as well as Borderline Personality Disorder. In Poisoned Love, I was treated with the antipsychotic Stelazine to help control my overwhelming feelings of rage.
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