New drug naming system unveiled

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What’s in a name? Doctors have found that the name of the drug you are prescribed significantly influences how the patient sees the treatment. Now in a significant shift, the world’s major psychiatry organisations are proposing to completely change the terminology of the drugs used in mental disorders shifting it from symptom based (e.g. antidepressant, antipsychotic etc.) to pharmacologically based (e.g. focusing on pharmacological target (serotonin, dopamine etc.) and the relevant mode of action). This will mean that patient will no longer have the confusion of being prescribed a drug for what appears to be an unrelated condition, but also means that drug names will be more understandable to doctors.

The new terminology is being presented to international clinicians at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology conference in Berlin. This international launch marks the start of a process of discussion and negotiation between academics, clinicians, pharmaceutical companies, and regulatory bodies. The rigorous nature of the new nomenclature means that this can be supported by an app, which will assist clinicians in making the correct treatment choices. This beta 1 version of this app will be also available in Berlin.

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The pdocs used to laugh at the med called “Topamax” that I actually liked to take. It was really an anti-seizure med, but worked for me as a mood stabilizer.
They called it “Dopamax”

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I’m a nursing student and my drug guide lists to therapeutic classification (like anti-depressants) then it lists the pharmacologic profile where it says dopamine, norepinephrine or serotonin and how they work and the drugs in that category. Its an easy reference for nurses who don’t have the knowledge to say whether a drug is dopamine antagonist or serotonin inhibitor or tricyclic. Tell the average person that they are on an SSRI and they are not really going to understand what that means (and there are other uses beside anti-depressants for them), but if you tell them why they are taking it it is much easier understood.

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I`m not sure how that will effect the med situation-but I look at it as a step towards changing schizophrenia to something else…like thought disorder!

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Topamax was initially an anti-seizure drug, but they discovered one of the side effects was a mood stabilizer.
I really liked it because it seemed to keep me from gaining weight while taking my anti-psychotics.