Abstract
Background: Animal and human experiments have confirmed sex differences in the expression of hepatic enzymes that metabolize antipsychotic drugs and that may, in this way, be partly responsible for the clinical sex/gender differences observed in the efficacy and tolerability of antipsychotic treatment.Aim: The aim of this mini review is to synthesize the literature on the pharmacodynamics of male/female differential response to antipsychotic drugs.Method: Relevant search terms were used to search for pre-clinical and human trials and analysis of antipsychotic differential drug response and occurrence/severity of adverse effects in women and men.Results: The search found that sex influences drug response via the amount of a given drug that enters the brain and the number of neurotransmitter receptors to which it can bind. Consequently, sex partly determines the efficacy of a specific drug and its liability to induce unwanted effects. There are other factors that can overshadow or enhance the dimorphic effect of sex, for instance, the host's age, hormonal status, diet and life style as well as the molecular structure of the drug and its dose, and the method of its administration. Most of all, the host's individual genetics affects each step of a drug's pharmacodynamics.Conclusion: On average, women's psychotic symptoms respond to antipsychotic drugs at doses lower than men's. This means that many women may be de facto overdosed and, thus, experience unnecessary adverse effects. That being said, factors such as genetics and age probably determine drug response and tolerability to a greater degree than do biological sex or gender social roles.
Highlights
The term, pharmacodynamics, refers to how a drug works in the human body to produce its effects, both the intended effects for which a drug is prescribed and the unwanted effects that often occur
A drug’s mechanism of action depends on the nature of the molecule itself, on its daily dose, and on how much of it reaches the sites in the body where it can exert its effect. It depends on the particulars of the host—age, sex, frailty, and genetic factors. This minireview addresses the pharmacodynamics of antipsychotic medications (AP) as it is affected by the sex of the host
In the text mining study referred to earlier, the results showed that multiple hyperprolactinemia-related adverse effects tend to occur together in women [38]
Summary
The term, pharmacodynamics, refers to how a drug works in the human body to produce its effects, both the intended effects for which a drug is prescribed and the unwanted effects that often occur. A drug’s mechanism of action depends on the nature of the molecule itself, on its daily dose, and on how much of it reaches the sites in the body where it can exert its effect It depends on the particulars of the host—age, sex, frailty, and genetic factors. The pharmacodynamics of each of these many drugs is not identically affected by sex, though the mechanism by which these drugs reduce psychotic symptoms is similar. They all block brain neurotransmitters at their receptor sites on neuronal membranes. Animal and human experiments have confirmed sex differences in the expression of hepatic enzymes that metabolize antipsychotic drugs and that may, in this way, be partly responsible for the clinical sex/gender differences observed in the efficacy and tolerability of antipsychotic treatment
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
