Drug description:

Aripiprazole is an antipsychotic agent.
Aripiprazole is indicated for the treatment of psychotic conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in adults and adolescents 13 to 17 years old, symptoms of mood swings, temper tantrums, aggression, self-injury related to autistic disorder in pediatrics and irritability, moderate to severe manic episodes in Bipolar I Disorder in adolescents aged 13 and older. It is also employed in combination therapy for the treatment of major depressive disorder in adult patients.
It is formulated as tablets and solution for oral route of administration and injection solution for intramuscular route of administration.

Mechanism of action:

It has partial agonistic activity at dopamine D2 receptors and serotonin 5-HT1A receptors, as well as potent antagonistic activity on serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. It stabilizes dopamine and serotonin activity in the limbic and cortical system. This stabilization is useful in managing symptoms of schizophrenia and of acute manic and mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorders.