Rexulti (Brexpiprazole), is an atypical antipsychotic approved by the FDA for the treatment of schizophrenia and major depressive disorder (as an adjunct). The drug was engineered via collaboration between pharmaceutical companies Otsuka and Lundbeck and is considered the successor to Abilify (aripiprazole), a formerly top-selling antipsychotic medication with an expired patent. Although Rexulti is marketed …
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a tropical evergreen tree from the coffee family (Rubiaceae) native to Indonesia, Papa New Guinea, Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia. The kratom tree produces leaves containing psychoactive compounds, and when ingested, these compounds are capable of eliciting opioidergic and/or stimulatory effects. Although it is estimated that kratom leaves contain …
Baclofen is a drug that was originally synthesized in the early 1960s by Heinrich Keberle, a Swiss chemist employed by the pharmaceutical company Ciba-Geigy. At the time of its synthesis, Keberle hypothesized that baclofen would prove effective as an antiepileptic agent, however, clinical trials yielded unfavorable results. Though ineffective as an antiepileptic, researchers noticed that …
Adrafinil (Olmifon) is a eugeroic agent originally synthesized in the 1970s by chemists at Group Lafon, a pharmaceutical company based in France. Following its synthesis, researchers discovered that adrafinil induced wakefulness in humans, and by the mid-1980s, it was being marketed as an experimental treatment for narcolepsy. Though its exact pharmacodynamics aren’t fully elucidated, adrafinil …
Phenibut (brand name “Noofen”) is a neuropsychiatric drug originally synthesized in St. Petersburg, Russia by a team of researchers at the Department of Organic Chemistry of the Herzen Pedagogic Institute. By the 1960s, phenibut was introduced as a pharmaceutical agent in Russia for the treatment of various medical conditions including: anxiety, insomnia, and PTSD. Since …
Risperdal (Risperidone) is an atypical antipsychotic drug that is primarily utilized to manage symptoms of schizophrenia. Additionally the drug is commonly prescribed for other conditions such as schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, and for irritability associated with autism. It was initially approved by the FDA in 1994 and at the time was considered to be an …
Haldol (Haloperidol) is a medication that is most commonly used to treat schizophrenia. In some cases it is also used to help manage acute psychosis, mania in bipolar disorder, and tics in Tourette syndrome. It is considered a first-generation “typical” antipsychotic drug and was initially approved by the FDA in 1967. Haldol is a regarded …