Classification

The major chemical subgroups of older antipsychotic drugs are the phenothiazines (eg, chlorpromazine, thioridazine, fluphenazine), the thioxanthenes (eg, thiothixene), and the butyrophenones (eg, haloperidol).First-generation antipsychotics are more likely to be associated with movement disorders Newer second generation drugs of varied heterocyclic structure are also effective in schizophrenia, including clozapine, loxapine, olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, ziprasidone, and aripiprazole. In some cases, these atypical antipsychotic drugs may be somewhat more effective and less toxic than the older drugs. However, they are much more costly than the older drugs, most of which are prescribed generically.