Lurasidone: Effects, Operation And Uses Of This Drug
There are multiple substances and compounds, some obtained directly from nature and others synthesized by man, that have been discovered effective and useful for treating different ailments. The investigation of the properties of these substances is what has given rise to pharmacology. And not only that dedicated to the medical field focused on the body, but also on the mind: psychopharmacology.
The latter allows different disorders such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia to be stabilized, as well as to help in the treatment of other disorders through the different drugs that have been developed throughout history. One of these drugs mainly used in the treatment of schizophrenia is lurasidone
Lurasidone It is a psychotropic drug classified within the group of atypical antipsychotics which are substances that, by altering different elements at the brain level, try to combat the symptoms of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.
The fact that it is classified within the atypical antipsychotics is due to the fact that it is one of the products of the research carried out to generate medications that did not have as many side effects as the first antipsychotics that were discovered and at the same time attempted to improve the effectiveness in the treatment of negative symptoms (which decreases the patient’s functionality by reducing their activation), something in which the typical or classic treatments did not produce any effect and could even worsen.
Lurasidone It mainly contributes to reducing the so-called positive symptoms (not because it is good but because it adds elements and hyperactivity to the subject) such as hallucinations, vegetative hyperactivation and the feeling of restlessness and nervousness. Likewise, as an atypical antipsychotic, it also reduces anxiety, anhedonia, passivity and low energy levels. It has also been observed to increase sleep and appetite in patients with schizophrenia and similar disorders.
Mechanism of action
The operation of lurasidone is based, as is the case with most antipsychotics, on the blockade of dopamine D2 receptors in the mesolimbic pathway. And it has been observed that positive symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, could be caused by an excess of dopamine on said road. It also has a relevant interaction with the serotonergic system, and at a lesser level with norepinephrine.
The first of these effects could be achieved by typical antipsychotics, but these have the disadvantage that their action by blocking dopamine is nonspecific and affects many other brain pathways in which there is no dopaminergic alteration or even a lack of it (being this deficit in the mesocortical pathway, which is considered responsible for the negative symptoms), causing unpleasant and even dangerous secondary alterations. That is why alternatives were sought and atypical antipsychotics ended up being generated.
And these, among them lurasidone, stand out because although their mechanism of action involves blocking D2 receptors, It also has an effect on brain serotonin, reducing it This neurotransmitter has an inhibitory effect on the synthesis of dopamine, and is also found in much greater quantities in the cerebral cortex, so when serotonin levels decrease, dopamine levels increase in areas other than the mesolimbic pathway.
In this way, the antagonistic action of the drug towards dopamine reduces the levels of this hormone in the mesolimbic pathway, but in the rest of the brain no alteration occurs because the decrease that the drug would generate is compensated by the lowering of the serotonin as an inhibitor of its synthesis (and even in the mesocortical pathway it produces a slight increase, improving negative symptoms).
What is it used for?
Lurasidone is a drug whose main indication is schizophrenia, in which It has considerable effectiveness in reducing both positive and negative symptoms In addition to this, it is also effective in other psychotic disorders such as chronic delusional disorder.
But its use is not limited only to disorders within the psychotic spectrum. Lurasidone is also quite effective in the presence of depressive episodes in the context of bipolar disorder increasing energy levels and reducing the anhedonia typical of these episodes
You may be interested: “Bipolar Disorder: 10 characteristics and curiosities you didn’t know about”
Side effects, risks and contraindications
Although it has fewer side effects and a higher level of safety than typical antipsychotics, the truth is that lurasidone can cause different discomforts and even be contraindicated in some patients.
It has been observed that Consumption of this substance can cause sedation, dizziness, hyperthermia, weight gain, hyperglycemia, increased thirst and hunger, hypersalivation, sexual disturbances such as decreased sexual desire or secretion of milk from the breasts (regardless of sex), agitation, tremors, nausea and vomiting, sensation of suffocation or tachycardia, among others. Bradykinesia, involuntary oral and orofacial movements such as dyskinesia, and in some cases even seizures, have also been observed.
At the level of contraindications, Pregnant women should avoid this drug or take special caution people taking other medications (especially psychotropic drugs such as antidepressants) and elderly people with dementia (who are more likely to die with consumption) or who have suffered a stroke.
