Benperidol is a drug from the group of butyrophenones. These belong to the neuroleptics. The drug is used to treat schizophrenia.
What is benperidol?
Benperidol is a drug that is primarily used in psychiatry. He belongs to the butyrophenones. This group of drugs is used therapeutically as an antipsychotic. Other well-known butyrophenones are haloperidol or pipamperon.
Benperidol is one of the most powerful neuroleptics, along with haloperidol and trifluperidol. While low-potency butyrophenones tend to have mild side effects, high-potency butyrophenones such as benperidol have a high rate of side effects.
The first butyrophenones were produced as early as the late 1950s. Benperidol and other butyrophenones have been used in psychiatric clinics since the mid-1960s.
Pharmacological effect
Psychoses such as schizophrenia, depression or mania are mainly influenced by disorders of the neurotransmitters and in the hormonal balance. Above all, dopamine and serotonin play an important role.
The aim of drug treatment of psychosis is to inhibit dopamine and / or serotonin receptors in the central nervous system (CNS). So-called dopamine and serotonin antagonists are used to inhibit the receptors. These compete with serotonin and dopamine for the receptor positions. One such dopamine antagonist is benperidol. It blocks the D2 dopamine receptors and thus has a drive-reducing effect. The drug also has a sedative and antipsychotic effect.
With a higher dose of benperidol, the messenger substances histamine and adrenaline are also inhibited. These have an influence on the autonomic nervous system. Movement disorders can therefore be reduced by taking benperidol. Benperidol also affects the messenger substance acetylcholine to a small extent.This messenger substance plays a role in the transmission of nerve stimuli to muscle fibers. Because of this effect, benperidol can reduce muscle twitching that can occur as part of a psychotic attack.
Medical application & use
Benperidol is used in the form of drops, ampoules or tablets to treat psychoses. It can be administered orally or intravenously. Indications for the administration of benperidol are:
- Schizophrenia
- Delusions or obsessions during a psychotic episode
- Mood swings in mania
- Muscle twitching in catatonic syndrome
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➔ Medicines to calm down and strengthen nervesRisks & side effects
Due to its strong undesirable side effects, benperidol is usually only used as a reserve drug in the treatment of schizophrenia. However, use is steadily declining due to the further development of neuroleptics.
The effect of benperidol is very strong, so that undesirable effects occur with almost every treatment. A common undesirable effect is extrapyramidal syndrome (EPS). With EPS, there are disturbances in the sequence of movements. The movements increase or decrease. They are associated with a decreased or increased state of tension in the muscles. The affected patients suffer from unsteady sitting, tongue cramps, eye cramps, tremors and a sedentary lifestyle. To prevent EPS, benperidol is usually administered together with anticholinergics such as Biperiden. Anticholinergics suppress the effect of acetylcholine and thus prevent the transmission of nerve stimuli.
Other common side effects of benperidol are hypotension, cardiac arrhythmias, milk flow, menstrual cycle disorders or sexual aversion. Occasionally, dizziness, depression, seizures, speech disorders, weight gain, high blood sugar levels or skin allergies occur. Very rare side effects are dry mouth, increased intraocular pressure, hair loss and blood formation disorders.
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NOS) is a dangerous complication that can develop while taking benperidol. This occurs much more frequently with benperidol than with other neuroleptics. The MNS is probably caused by a dopamine deficiency through a blockade of the D2 receptor. Typical symptoms of NMS are extreme muscle stiffness, tremors, increased reflexes, cramps in the eyes, jaw clamps, profuse sweating, rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing, fecal incontinence or urinary retention, confusion, mutism, impaired consciousness and catatonia. In the laboratory there is an extreme increase in creatine kinase and transaminases. The white blood cell count is increased. Myoglobin is excreted in the urine. The malignant neuroleptic syndrome is a dreaded complication, as it develops very quickly and unexpectedly and can quickly be fatal. If MNS is suspected, Benperidol must be discontinued immediately.
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