Atypical antipsychotics act on dopamine and serotonin signalling to treat psychosis, mania and, at lower doses, as add-on therapy in depression. They are called "atypical" because they cause fewer movement side effects than the older antipsychotics — but they carry their own burden, chiefly weight gain, sedation and metabolic changes, which vary a great deal from one drug to the next.
Class descriptions are written by the Priya Life Science editorial team. Individual drug pages combine that summary with live label, approval, manufacturer and shortage data from the U.S. FDA via the openFDA API. This page is general information and is not medical advice — it is not exhaustive, drugs within a class are not automatically interchangeable, and approvals and brand names differ between the US, EU/Ireland (EMA/HPRA) and other regions. Always consult the official prescribing information and your clinician or pharmacist. Related: Drug Shortages Tracker · FDA Approvals · All drug comparisons