Aripiprazole – Mechanism of Action, Psychopharmacology and Clinical Application

Posted on:October 23, 2020
Last Updated: August 30, 2022
Time to read: 9 minutes

Aripiprazole is a partial dopamine (D2) agonist with a high affinity for the D2 receptor but lower intrinsic activity at the D2 receptor than dopamine (DA). It is classified as a Dopamine System Stabiliser (DSS) due to its ability to modulate DA levels in key brain pathways.

Aripiprazole is an achiral quinolinone derivative and a second-generation antipsychotic approved for treating schizophrenia in 2002.

Aripiprazole is marketed as Abilify and comes in oral tablets (2, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 mg doses), orally disintegrating tablets (10 and 15 mg doses), an oral solution (1 mg/mL), and as an intramuscular injection (7.5 mg/mL).

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