Thioxanthenes

What are Thioxanthenes?

Thioxanthenes are typical (conventional) antipsychotic drugs structurally related to phenothiazines. They work as dopamine-2 (D2) receptor antagonists and suppress the effect of dopamine in the brain.

Thioxanthenes are high potency drugs: they have a high affinity for dopamine receptors compared to affinity for adrenergic and muscarinic receptors. Thioxanthene antipsychotics are used to treat schizophrenia.

The derivatives of thioxanthene used clinically as antipsychotics include:

Chlorprothixene (Cloxan, Taractan, Truxal)
Clopenthixol (Sordinol)
Flupenthixol (Depixol, Fluanxol)
Thiothixene (Navane)
Zuclopenthixol (Cisordinol, Clopixol, Acuphase)

Thioxanthenes, the third group of antipsychotics, are represented in two geometric stereoisomers: Z- and E-compounds, of which the former have been shown to be more neuroleptically active.

What is this medication? THIOTHIXENE (thye oh THIX een) treats schizophrenia. It works by balancing the levels of dopamine in your brain, a substance that helps regulate mood, behaviors, and thoughts. It belongs to a group of medications called antipsychotics.

Thioxanthenes work primarily by blocking postsynaptic dopamine-mediated neurotransmission by binding to dopamine (DA-1 and DA-2) receptors.

Phenothiazines are a class of first-generation heterocyclic anti-psychotic medications, which display antagonistic activity towards dopamine receptors and recently have been shown to have potential anti-neoplastic properties.

Antipsychotic drugs tend to fall into one of two categories:

first generation (older), or ‘typical’ antipsychotics.
second generation (newer), or ‘atypical’ antipsychotics.

Thiothixene (Navane) and clozapine (Clozaril) are both used to treat schizophrenia, but they have some key differences. Thiothixene is a first-generation (typical) antipsychotic, while clozapine is a second-generation (atypical) antipsychotic.