What is antipsychotic medication?
It is a medication that is used for some types
of mental distress or disorder, where you may hear voices, have
difficulty controlling your thoughts or feel very agitated. This
happens most often in manic depression and schizophrenia.
What is depot antipsychotic medication?
It is a special preparation of the medication,
which is given by injection. The medication is slowly released
into the body over a number of weeks.
What happens when the nurse or doctor gives the depot
injection?
- You go into a private room with the nurse or doctor.
- The injection is usually given into the
buttock.
- After each injection the medicine stays in your body for a few
weeks.
How is it started?
- The first time you have this treatment you will usually be
given a small amount to check that it does not have any bad effects
on you.
- If you have no bad effects from the medication, you
start regular injections after a few days.
Why is it usually given into the buttock?
Because the injection is quite thick, it needs to be given into
a large muscle, so that there is less (or no) pain and
swelling.
Where can you have the injections done?
You can usually decide yourself where to have
the injections. The choices might be:
- At your doctor's surgery
- At a community mental health centre
- At an out-patient clinic
- At your home.
What's good about having depot
injections?
- You only have to have the medicine once a week or once a month.
(Pills have to be taken every day)
- You are less likely to forget your medicine, so less likely to
get ill.
- The medicine can reduce unpleasant experiences, like hearing
voices. It can also help you to feel calmer and think more
clearly.
What's bad about having depot injections?
Sometimes this kind of medicine can give
you:
- pain from the injection, which can last for a
few days;
- a feeling of restlessness and
anxiety;
- feeling dizzy when you stand up;
- weight gain;
- blurred vision;
- stiffness in your arms, legs, neck or
mouth;
- after several years of antipsychotic
medicine, you may start to have twitches around your mouth (called
"tardive dyskinesia");
- sexual problems - loss of desire in men and women, difficulty
in getting an erection or in ejaculating.
You may also have the same side-effects listed
above if you are taking oral medication.
Can anything help these side effects?
Yes. Having smaller amounts of the medicine
can help, or you can take another medicine to reduce the side
effects. It is usually best to reduce the dose of medication to a
level where these unpleasant effects do not happen.
What should you do if you get any of these side-effects
after a depot injection?
Tell your doctor, nurse or key worker. They will want to help
with any problems you have with this medicine.
How often do you have to have these
injections?
Between once a week and once a month.
How long do the injections go on?
This will depend on your illness. You should discuss this with
your doctor.
Can you say 'no' to having these
injections?
Yes you can, just the same as with any other
medication. But, if you are kept in hospital under a section of the
Mental Health Act, the doctors could make you have treatment
(again, like any other medication) even if you don't want it. After
3 months, if you say still don’t want the treatment, the hospital
has to ask an independent doctor from a different hospital to see
you and decide if you need the medicine or not.
What happens if you miss an injection?
If you miss an injection, you should have
another one as soon as you can. If you do not, over a few weeks or
months the medicine will stop working and some of the old problems
will come back, like hearing voices or feeling troubled or scared.
You may start to feel worse than before you started the medicine if
you keep missing the depot injections.
What if you are not happy about the
injections?
Talk to your doctor, nurse or key worker. They
might be able to help you feel OK about it, or suggest a different
treatment. If you have any questions about your medicine or if you
do not understand anything you have read here please ask your
doctor, nurse or key worker. They want to help.
Warnings
Depot injections may make you feel sleepy,
so:
- Be careful with alcohol - it will make you
even more sleepy
- Don't drive a car or work any machinery if
you are not fully awake or if you feel the medicine is affecting
your concentration
- Some other medicines, such as sleeping pills
or hay fever pills may make you feel more sleepy when you have
depot injections.
The depot injections currently available in the UK
are:
Trade name
|
Proper name
|
Dose/amount
|
How often
|
| Modecate |
Fluphenazine decanoate |
up to 100 milligrams |
1
injection every 2 to 5 weeks according to response and
severity of condition |
| Depixol |
Flupenthixol decanoate |
up to 400 milligrams |
1 injection every 2 to 4
weeks according to response and severity of condition |
| Haldol |
Haloperidol decanoate |
up to 300 milligrams |
1 injection every 2 to 4
weeks according to response and severity of condition |
| Piportil |
Pipothiazine palmitate |
up to 200 milligrams |
1 injection every 4
weeks |
| Clopixol |
Zuclopenthixol Decanoate |
up to 600 milligrams |
1 injection every1 to 4 weeks |
| Risperdal Consta |
Risperidone |
up to 50 milligrams |
1 injection every 2 weeks |
This leaflet was produced by the Royal College of
Psychiatrists' Public Education Editorial Board
Series Editor: Dr Philip Timms
Update: January 2010; next due for review: January
2012.
Information about treatments can change rapidly and the
College updates its mental health information leaflets
regularly.
© March 2007 Royal College of Psychiatrists.
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