A Guide to the Extrapyramidal Side-Effects of Antipsychotic Drugs

From our regular book review column.

Owens’s motivation for a biomedical clinical focus, instead of a research focus, for this well-written, single-authored book was, "There is little point in seeking the Holy Grail if you cannot recognize a cup". Patient case histories illustrate and excellent tables and figures summarize Dr. Owens’s points, and the text ends with 25 pages of references. Extrapyramidal symptoms or side effects (EPS) are disorders of voluntary motor function. The most common medication "villains" that cause EPS are the antipsychotics, and EPS are among the most frequent adverse reactions to antipsychotic medications Increasing clinicians’ awareness of and vigilance for EPS and their impact on patients is increasingly important because newer (which is not synonymous with "atypical") neuroleptics may produce subtler EPS than do older agents.