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What are the side effects commonly observed with high-potency typical antipsychotics?

User Ol Sen
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Final answer:

High-potency typical antipsychotics can lead to slowness in response, drowsiness, reduced emotional expression, and, over time, may cause severe and irreversible side effects such as insomnia, depression, and prostate enlargement. Impaired heart function and Parkinson's disease-like symptoms may also occur due to dopamine receptor antagonism.

Step-by-step explanation:

High-potency typical antipsychotics are associated with a variety of side effects. Initial reactions may include slowness in response to stimuli and drowsiness, albeit intellectual functions are intact. Over time, these neuroleptic drugs can cause reduction in initiative and interest in the environment, lessening displays of emotion or affect. While they can reduce psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking, and may help with aggressive behavior, there are serious side effects as well.

Some of the severe and often irreversible side effects include insomnia, depression, and prostate enlargement. Moreover, side effects such as impaired heart function, testicular atrophy, increased risk of colon cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease, and macular degeneration have been observed. The antagonizing effects on dopamine neurotransmission can sometimes induce Parkinson's disease-like symptoms.

User Pievis
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