Medication Library
Learn what you're taking.
Plain-English entries on medications commonly used in psychosis recovery. Why a prescriber might have chosen yours, what it does, what it doesn't, and what to bring up at your next appointment.
This is general information to help you ask better questions. It is not medical advice. Your prescriber knows your full picture. Never stop or adjust an antipsychotic without medical guidance - abrupt discontinuation can be dangerous
Second Generation Antipsychotics
Risperidone is one of the most widely prescribed antipsychotics in the world and has one of the longest track records of the second-generation medications.
When symptoms are severe, when other antipsychotics haven't worked adequately, or when stability is the overriding clinical priority, olanzapine is often chosen because it works, and because it works reliably.
Lurasidone is a newer second-generation antipsychotic increasingly chosen for people where metabolic side effects are a particular concern
Clozapine is the most effective antipsychotic medication available. It is also the most monitored, because it carries specific risks that the monitoring exists to catch.
Aripiprazole is often chosen when prescribers want strong symptom control with a more favorable side-effect profile than older or more sedating alternatives.
Quetiapine is often chosen when sleep is broken, agitation is high, or other medications were too activating.
Often Added
Among antidepressants, Sertraline has a relatively favorable side-effect profile and fewer drug interactions than some alternatives, which matters when it's being added to an antipsychotic
Lithium is a powerful and effective medication. It is also one of the medications where the gap between a therapeutic dose and a toxic dose is narrow.
Escitalopram is one of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants in the world, and one of the most common medications added to an antipsychotic during psychosis recovery.