Pimozide is a typical antipsychotic medication belonging to the diphenylbutylpiperidine class, primarily used for the treatment of Tourette’s disorder and, in some cases, schizophrenia. It works by blocking dopamine D2 receptors in the central nervous system, helping to reduce tics, hallucinations, and delusions. Pimozide was first synthesized in the 1960s as part of efforts to develop potent antipsychotics with longer durations of action and fewer sedative effects compared to earlier drugs like haloperidol. Its introduction offered a significant advancement in managing chronic psychiatric and neurological conditions, particularly severe motor and vocal tics in Tourette’s syndrome, where other treatments were often insufficient. Over the years, pimozide has been valued for its efficacy in reducing severe tics, although careful monitoring is required due to potential cardiac side effects such as QT prolongation.
