New Medicines for Schizophrenia
Many health care providers read this blog, although most focus on non-invasive healing methods.
But it is still important to know a little about conventional medications, and one of the basic tenets of Integrated Medicine is that we use orthodox medicine together with precisely individualized treatments aimed at harmonizing the whole person.
Last night the Food and Drug Administration in the United States granted final approval for a new medicine for the treatment of schizophrenia. It is called paliperidone, and will be marketed under the name Invega.
We have also heard that three other new medicines are in the late stages of development: bifeprunox, asenapine and iloperidone.
It is a sad fact that many people with severe mental illnesses are not well served by any currently available treatments, be they medicines, psychotherapy, nutrition or anything else. So it is good news that new treatment options are emerging. The next step is to see how these new medicines work in practice and if there are any side effect issues that did not show up in the clinical trials.
Paliperidone will become available in the United States in early January. You can read something about it here.
We expect that bifeprunox will be the next one to come to market, and you can read something about it here.
We shall continue to provide up to date and independent information about all the new approaches to treating major mental illness here.
Dr. Richard G. Petty, MD is a world-renowned authority on the brain, and his revolutionary work on human energy systems has been acclaimed around the globe.
He is also an accredited specialist in internal and metabolic medicine, endocrinology, psychiatry, acupuncture and homeopathy. He has been an innovator and leader of the human potential movement for over thirty years and is also an active researcher, teacher, writer, professional speaker and broadcaster. He is the author of five books, including the groundbreaking and best selling CD series Healing, Meaning and Purpose. He has taught in over 45 countries and 48 states in the last ten years, but spends as much time as possible on his horse farm in Georgia.
