Lurasidone

What is lurasidone?

Second generation antipsychotics (sometimes referred to as ‘atypical’ antipsychotics) such as lurasidone are a newer class of antipsychotic medication than first generation ‘typical’ antipsychotics. Second generation antipsychotics are effective for the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. It is sometimes claimed that they are more effective than first generation antipsychotics in treating the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, although the evidence for this is weak. Negative symptoms include a lack of ordinary mental activities such as emotional expression, social engagement, thinking and motivation, whereas positive symptoms include the experiences of perceptual abnormalities (hallucinations) and fixed, false, irrational beliefs (delusions). Second generation antipsychotics may also cause less extra-pyramidal side effects. These include dyskinesias such as repetitive, involuntary, and purposeless body or facial movements, Parkinsonism (cogwheel muscle rigidity, pill-rolling tremor and reduced or slowed movements), akathisia (motor restlessness, especially in the legs, and resembling agitation) and dystonias such as muscle contractions causing unusual twisting of parts of the body, most often in the neck. These effects are caused by the dopamine receptor antagonist action of these drugs.

What is the evidence for lurasidone?

Moderate to high quality evidence finds greater improvement in symptoms with lurasidone >20mg/d than with placebo, but more adverse events including weight gain, nausea, vomiting, akathisia, dystonia, parkinsonism, somnolence, dizziness, and sedation.

There were no differences in response rates between lurasidone and brezpiprazole, but less weight change, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein with lurasidone.

October 2020

Last updated at: 4:38 am, 14th October 2020
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Orange - Topic summary is being compiled.
Red - Topic summary has no current systematic review available.