Antipsychotics can affect other medicines, and vice versa. This is why it is very important that your therapist knows about all the medication you are taking, including over the counter drugs from the pharmacy, chemist or supermarket.
Do antipsychotics affect other medicines?
Some antipsychotics can have a certain effect on the so-called tricyclic types of antidepressants. Usually, these two kinds of medicine are not prescribed together.
The use of tranquillisers and/or sleeping pills (also referred to as benzodiazepines) together with antipsychotics is also something to be careful with. This because antipsychotics can cause sleepiness as well. It is your doctor’s responsibility to keep this in mind, but you should too.
External websites:
- Medline Plus Information about specific medicines and patient leaflet
- Mind.org on info about driving and medication
Prof. dr. Jim van Os, Chair Division Neuroscience, Utrecht University Medical Centre. Jim is also Visiting Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology at the Institute of Psychiatry in London. Jim works at the interface of ‘hard’ brain science, health services research, art and subjective experiences of people with ‘lived experience’ in mental healthcare.
Jim has been appearing on the Thomson-Reuter Web of Science list of ‘most influential scientific minds of our time’ since 2014. In 2014 he published his book ‘Beyond DSM-5‘, and in 2016 the book ‘Good Mental Health Care’.
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