An antipsychotic balance
January 13, 2012
THE NPS is encouraging open
dialogue between mental health
patients and healthcare
professionals to ensure right
treatment balances are reached.
According to NPS around 4% of
Australians will be affected by a
mental illness such as schizophrenia
or bipolar disorder at some point
in their lives, many of which deal
with “distressing side effects such
as weight gain from the
antipsychotic medicines they take”.
“While avoiding such side-effects
altogether may not be possible,
there are ways to make them more
manageable,” the NPS said.
An honest two-way
communication between
healthcare professionals and
patients regarding what the
medications will do as well as their
benefits and potential side effects
will, according to the NPS, give
patients taking antipsychotic
medicines more control over their
situation and the ability to work
towards the best long term outcomes.
“Achieving this treatment balance
requires co-operation,” said NPS
Clinical Adviser, Dr Danielle
Stowasser.
“It often involves trial and error
over a period of time,” she added.
Patients who monitor the type
and severity of their side effects
with different medicines, and who
then share this information with
their healthcare professional, will
benefit by finding the right
treatment balance, according to
NPS Clinical Adviser, Dr Danielle
Stowasser.
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