Types of medicine
What Is an Antipsychotic? Uses and Label Warnings
Antipsychotic · say it: an-tee-sy-KOT-ikAlso written: neuroleptic, antipsychotics, major tranquilizer
Short answer
An antipsychotic is a medicine used for psychosis, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and sometimes for other conditions.
What it means
Antipsychotics are medicines that act mainly on dopamine and other brain chemicals. They are used for schizophrenia, psychosis (losing touch with reality, such as hallucinations or delusions), bipolar disorder, and sometimes severe depression, agitation or nausea. Older ones are called 'typical' and newer ones 'atypical'. Examples include haloperidol, risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine and aripiprazole.
Antipsychotic labels carry several warnings: a boxed warning about increased risk of death in older people with dementia-related psychosis; movement side effects such as stiffness, restlessness or tardive dyskinesia; a rare reaction called neuroleptic malignant syndrome; weight gain, raised blood sugar and cholesterol with some; drowsiness; and dizziness on standing. That is why regular check-ups and blood tests are often done.
Being prescribed an antipsychotic does not mean someone has schizophrenia. Some are used at low doses for other reasons. 'Neuroleptic' is an older word for the same group.
Where you may see it
- Antipsychotic boxed warnings
- Medication Guides
- Psychiatry letters and medicine lists
📄 How it looks on a report
Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death.
🙅 What it does not mean
- Being prescribed one does not mean you have schizophrenia.
- Side effects listed do not all happen to everyone.
- It does not mean you should stop suddenly; talk to your prescriber first.
🎯 Check yourself
Which of these is the right meaning of “Antipsychotic”?
🗒️ Questions to ask your doctor
💊 Medicines whose labels mention “Antipsychotic”
Plain-English explanations of each medicine, from its official FDA label.
- Aripiprazole
an atypical antipsychotic medicine
- Artemether and Lumefantrine
an antimalarial medicine, which is a fixed combination of two blood-stage antimalarial ingredients (artemether, an artemisinin derivative, and lumefantrine)
- Bupropion Hydrochloride
an aminoketone antidepressant, a type of medicine used to treat depression
- Ciprofloxacin
a fluoroquinolone antibacterial medicine
- Escitalopram
a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), a type of antidepressant
- Fluoxetine
a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), a type of antidepressant medicine
- Glimepiride
a sulfonylurea, a type of oral medicine used to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes
- Insulin Glargine
an insulin analog, a long-acting man-made insulin used to treat diabetes
- Lithium Carbonate
A mood-stabilizing agent, which the label describes as a medicine used to treat bipolar I disorder
- Loperamide
a synthetic antidiarrheal medicine
🔗 Read more from trusted sources
- “Antipsychotic” on MedlinePlus ↗
US National Library of Medicine
- NCI Dictionary definition ↗
US National Cancer Institute: “antipsychotic”
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General information about a medical word, not advice about your own results. Ask the clinician who ordered the test what it means for you.