Posted by med_empowered on March 25, 2006, at 23:55:11
In reply to Re: AP's for jumbled thoughts » krystee, posted by SLS on March 25, 2006, at 20:05:11
EPS is the abbreviation for "extra-pyramidal symptoms"..basically, it involves stuff like pseudo-Parkinson's (shuffling gait, flat affect, etc.), akathisia (inner feeling of anxiety and tension--lots of moving about from side to side), akinesia (flat, mask-like face, very little if any emotional expression) and TD (tardive dyskinesia, an often permanent movement disorder characterized by involuntary movements, usually the face but sometimes also the trunk area. Can be crippling). Put together, all these are termed EPS--when antipsychotics mess with dopamine, they basically induce a pathological state in the brain that can sometimes lead to problems, which can sometimes be permanent (example: tardive dyskinesia, mentioned above, and tardive akathisia, which is like akathisia except it develops late and sticks around, sometimes even after the medication is withdrawn).
When the "atypicals" were introduced, starting with Clozapine, the idea was that they would control schizophrenia with less EPS than the old ones. To some extent, they've been successful. Risperdal, though, is pretty rough--as the atypicals go, its probably the least "atypical" of the bunch...plus, in general, there have been indications lately that the atypicals might not be so "atypical" after all--they can still cause tardive dyskinesia and other sorts of EPS, and they can still cause NMS (neuroleptic malignancy syndrome), a potentially fatal condition caused by antipsychotic drugs that leads to high fever, confusion, muscle rigidity, and often death.
Personally, I think antipsychotics are best avoided, unless you're floridly psychotic. As for your diagnosis...personally, I'd be a bit wary of the "Borderline Personality" diagnosis; 80% of people dx'd as "Borderline" are women, which basically makes "Borderline Personality Disorder" the DSM-IV's modern-day version of "Hysteria" or "Female Nervous Complaints". Its one of the most sexist diagnoses around today, but few people talk about it.
Good luck!
poster:med_empowered
thread:624361
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060322/msgs/624690.html