Select the atypical antipsychotic with the shortest half-life.
Exam Question Sep 2011
Quetiapine has a short half-life of 6 hours, for this reason it is given twice daily in divided doses. There is however a modified release preparation (seroquel XL) that can be given once daily.
Exam Question Sep 2011
Quetiapine has a short half-life of 6 hours, for this reason it is given twice daily in divided doses. There is however a modified release preparation (seroquel XL) that can be given once daily.
Antipsychotics (half life)
| Antipsychotic | Half life | Time to steady state* |
|---|---|---|
| Aripiprazole | 75 hours | 2 weeks |
| Olanzapine | 30 hours | 1 week |
| Risperidone | 20 hours | 2-3 days (oral) |
| Clozapine | 12 hours | 2-3 days |
| Amisulpride | 12 hours | 2-3 days |
| Ziprasidone | 7 hours | 2-3 days |
| Quetiapine | 6 hours | 2-3 days |
*The steady state is the point at which the amount of drug administered each day is exactly counterbalanced by the amount eliminated.
Maudsley Guidelines 10th Edition
Z Sharif. Pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and drug-drug interactions of atypical antipsychotics in special populations. Journal of clinical psychiatry 2003:5 (suppl 6) p.22-25.
American Psychiatric Association practice guidelines for the treatment of psychiatric disorders: Compendium 2006, p.647.
