Most common psych meds?

[Calt]

For the psych nurses, could you please tell me which meds are most commonly prescribed in your facility? I'm a student and will be starting my psych rotation soon. I wanted to review a list of the most common meds before my first day. Thanks!!

[NPvampire, MSN, RN, APRN]

I've done psych for 5 years now and I MOST commonly see:

Risperdal

Zyprexa

Geodon

Depakote (antiseizure but many other uses)

Haldol

Ativan

Abilify (more for bipolar than the schiz)

benadryl (for EPS prophylaxis)

colace, metamucil, senna, mirilax (cause all these psych meds stop them up)

Prozac, Paxil, Wellbutrin, and other SSRIs

Celexa

nicotine patches

less common list (either brand new or old/severe side effects)

thorazine

clozaril

synagis ($$$$$)

saphris (new)

amitriptylene

lamotrigene

HTH!

[RxOnly]

not sure if location matters, but i work in MA and see a lot of the following:

seroquel

risperdal

gabapentin

zyprexa

trazodone

doxepin

anxiolytics such as: ativan, xanax, buspar, klonopin

antidepressants such as: zoloft, celexa, prozac, wellbutrin, paxil

a lot of meds traditionally used to prevent seizures are also used for mood stabilizers like lamictal and depakote

hope this helps!

[Calt]

Thanks so much RNvampire and RxOnly! This helps so much!!

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

In no particular order:

Lithium

Dilantin

Depakote

Trileptal

Tegretol

Lexapro

Paxil

Prozac

Risperidone

Abilify

Celexa

Cymbalta

Wellbutrin (all 3 varieties)

Trazadone

Mirtazapine

Seroquel

Prozac

Neurontin

Buspar

Vistaril

Geodon

Zyprexa

Haldol

Cogentin

Benadryl

Campral

Revia

Suboxone

Saphris

Topamax

Lamictal

Various benzodiazepines

[HappyNurse09]

The most common ones I see are:

Zyprexa

Risperdal

Seroquel

Klonipin

Trileptal

Depakote

Buspar

Ativan

Trazodone

Hope that helps!

[Heidi the nurse, BSN, RN]

And if you end up rotating through a children's ward, you will see tons of ritalin and adderol, and their long acting forms.

[MoLee228]

I'm not a psych nurse but I use a WHOLE lot of Haldol! It might be helpful to know dosage ranges for Haldol because when you have to give it, there isn't usually much time to spare to look things up!!! :)

[digitiminimi]

All the above plus Clonidine, Tenex, DDAVP, Buspar, Chloral hydrate

some are not psych meds but used in the psych setting

[punkydoodlesRN, BSN, RN]

In no particular order:

Lithium

Dilantin

Depakote

Trileptal

Tegretol

Lexapro

Paxil

Prozac

Risperidone

Abilify

Celexa

Cymbalta

Wellbutrin (all 3 varieties)

Trazadone

Mirtazapine

Seroquel

Prozac

Neurontin

Buspar

Vistaril

Geodon

Zyprexa

Haldol

Cogentin

Benadryl

Campral

Revia

Suboxone

Saphris

Topamax

Lamictal

Various benzodiazepines

All of those. I give them all. the. time. In massive amts :)

[jabroadwater]

Hey Calt,

If you'll PM me with an e-mail, I'll send you a GREAT handout that we got in school at the start of our Mental Health rotation that might be very useful and answer any of your questions.

Good luck in school.

Jimmy

[carolmaccas66, BSN, RN]

All of the above. Make sure you study the difference between the long acting (XR) Quetiapine (Seroquel) for example, and short acting (SR). They are very easy to get mixed up when your patient has several similar medication orders. Also study the varied amounts and maximum dosages given to different psych patients, ie: some psych drugs not given to patients with liver dysfunction, or renal dysfunction. Many psych drugs affect liver and kidney function, as they are extremely toxic. This is where your admission info comes in handy.

Just FYI!

ADD: Also as a psych nurse/student check med charts carefully, as doctors order many different long and short acting amounts of the same drug. You need to be VERY CAREFUL you don't overdose them when giving medications - get to know the maximum dosages of each drug, very important info.