Managing the side effects of your antipsychotic medication
For Medication Safety Week, we spoke with Siobhan Gee, Consultant Pharmacist and Deputy Director of Pharmacy about how to manage side effects when taking antipsychotic medication.
If you have been prescribed an antipsychotic medication, you may have questions about how it helps and what side effects you might experience.
Understanding your medication can help you benefit from your treatment and support you to keep taking it.
When patients with schizophrenia, for example, stop taking medication, it takes 15 weeks to relapse, meaning all the symptoms they were previously experiencing come back, sometimes with additional complications.
Why is it important to keep taking my medication?
Antipsychotic medications are commonly used to treat mental health conditions and can reduce your symptoms and support your recovery.
Many people will start to feel better after taking the medication and when this happens, it can be tempting to stop taking it. However, stopping medication without advice from your team can increase the risk of symptoms returning.
If you are considering a change to your medication, please speak to your doctor or mental health team first.
Why do some people stop taking antipsychotic medication?
There are reasons why someone might stop taking their medication including side effects and personal concerns, but it is important to always speak to your team before stopping medication.
Medication, whether it is for mental health or physical health can be challenging for some people, but it is important to talk to those around you.
What side effects might I experience?
Like all medicines, antipsychotics can cause side effects. Not everyone will experience them, and the type and severity can vary depending on the medication.
Some commonly reported side effects include:
- Weight gain
- Feeling tired or drowsy
- Difficulties with concentration or thinking clearly
- Changes in sexual function
- Constipation
- Increased appetite
If side effects are affecting your daily life, talk to your care team. There may be ways to reduce side effects or consider alternative treatment options.
Supporting yourself with staying well
Talking openly about side effects
Your team wants to understand how your medication is affecting you and being honest with them can really support this.
Our staff can help you either manage the side effects or support you to find an alternative solution.
Finding the right medication
Different antipsychotic medications have different benefits and side effects.
We can work with you to find an option that balances effectiveness with what matters to you.
Consider different ways of taking medication
For some people, long-acting injectable medications can be a helpful alternative to tablets.
These are given at regular intervals by a healthcare professional and can reduce the need to remember daily medication. You can discuss with your team if this might be a suitable option for you.
Managing side effects early
Sometimes additional treatments can help manage side effects. For example, support with healthy eating and physical activity can help to manage weight gain.
We can talk to you about these and offer support where needed. For example, we can prescribe additional medication to help with side effects before they occur. When prescribing clozapine, we often prescribe a laxative to mitigate the constipation that most people experience.
Building routines around your medication
If remembering to take your medication is difficult, you can try and few things such a setting reminders on your phone, using pill organisers and asking family of friends to remind you.
Voicing your concerns and working with your care team
Your medication plays an important role in keeping you well and while some side effects are common, help is available if it is affecting you. Finding the right medication is important for you and your care team so we can ensure you can continue to live well, in the community, with our support.
If you have concerns, always make sure to speak to your care team as soon as possible.