Antipsychotics are some of the most frequently prescribed medications not only for psychotic disorders and symptoms but also for a wide range of on-label and off-label indications. Because second-generation antipsychotics have largely replaced first-generation antipsychotics as first-line options due to their substantially decreased risk of extrapyramidal side effects, attention has shifted to other clinically concerning adverse events associated with antipsychotic therapy. The focus of this article is to update the nonextrapyramidal side effects associated with second-generation antipsychotics. Issues surrounding diagnosis and monitoring as well as clinical management are addressed.
Keywords: Adverse effects; Antipsychotic medication; First-generation antipsychotics; Hyperlipidemia; Hyperprolactinemia; QT prolongation; Second-generation antipsychotics; Weight gain.
Published by Elsevier Inc.