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Children Usually Excluded From Clinical Drug Trials: Study

Posted 30 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, April 30 – Children are more likely than adults to suffer from a number of diseases, but few clinical trials are conducted to test new drugs in children with these conditions, researchers have found. In a new study, researchers looked at all clinical trials registered worldwide from 2006 to 2011 for drugs to treat these common conditions: asthma, migraine headaches, schizophrenia, depression, diarrheal illness, lower respiratory infection, malaria, bipolar disorder and HIV/AIDS. While children account for 60 percent of the patients with these conditions, only 12 percent of the clinical drug trials involved children, the investigators found. The gap was widest for conditions that are widespread in low- and middle-income countries. Clinical drug trials in children are important because youngsters often respond differently to medications than adults, the study authors pointed out ... Read more

Related support groups: Bipolar Disorder, Migraine, Asthma, Diarrhea, Schizophrenia, HIV Infection, Malaria

Prescription Meds Can Put on Unwanted Pounds

Posted 2 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, March 2 – Medications taken by millions of Americans for mood disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic conditions can have an unhealthy side effect: weight gain. While other choices exist for some types of drugs, adjusting medications is not simply a matter of switching, said Ryan Roux, chief pharmacy officer with the Harris County Hospital District, in Houston. In the late 1990s, Dr. Lawrence Cheskin conducted early research on prescription medicines and obesity. "Some medicines make an early, noticeable difference, causing patients to become ravenously hungry, while changes are subtle for others. A few months taking them and you've gained 10 pounds," said Cheskin, now director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, in Baltimore. To help increase awareness, Roux and his pharmacist group have compiled a list of "weight-promoting" and "weight-neutral or ... Read more

Related support groups: Bipolar Disorder, High Blood Pressure, Zoloft, Diabetes, Type 2, Wellbutrin, Seroquel, Prednisone, Prozac, Hypertension, Metformin, Paxil, Gabapentin, Lamictal, Sprintec, Mirena

Bipolar Drug May Spur Weight Gain, Thyroid Problems: Review

Posted 19 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Jan. 19 – A new medical review finds that lithium, a common treatment for bipolar disorder, can lead to weight gain and causes high rates of abnormalities in the thyroid and parathyroid glands. But the researchers found few signs of a link to skin problems or hair loss, and a suspected connection to birth defects hasn't been proven, according to the report published in the Jan. 20 online edition of The Lancet. Overall, the findings reaffirm lithium's role as "a treatment of choice for bipolar disorder," two doctors wrote in an accompanying editorial. While lithium is less popular than it was in the 1970s and '80s as a treatment for bipolar disorder, it's probably the most effective available mood stabilizer, said Dr. Bryan Bruno, acting chairman of the department of psychiatry at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, who was not involved with the review but is familiar with ... Read more

Related support groups: Bipolar Disorder, Lithium, Lithobid, Eskalith, Lithotabs, Eskalith-CR, Lithonate

1 in 5 U.S. Adults Suffers Mental Ills: Report

Posted 19 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Jan. 19 – Nearly 46 million American adults have had a mental illness in the past year, a new government report shows. Almost 30 percent of those aged 18 to 25 experienced a mental illness, twice as many as those aged 50 and older at just over 14 percent. And more women than men suffered a mental illness in the last year (23 percent vs. nearly 17 percent), according to the report released Thursday from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). "We all know people who have had a depression or an anxiety disorder, maybe something more serious like a bipolar disorder, but this is a pretty big number," said Peter Delany, director of SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies. "This is only the second year where we have done this as a separate report and the findings were not significantly different from last year," Delany noted, so there are not enough ... Read more

Related support groups: Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Psychiatric Disorders, Alcohol Dependence

Study Looks at Deep Brain Stimulation in Bipolar Patients

Posted 2 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Jan. 2 – A small study suggests that deep brain stimulation, which is currently being investigated as a treatment for general depression, may also help patients with bipolar disorder. There are some caveats. The surgery necessary to allow deep brain stimulation is extremely expensive. And for now, the research is preliminary, so it's too early to know for sure if the treatment is appropriate to be used for any kind of depression. Still, the study suggests that brain stimulation "not only just helps patients who haven't been able to recover from depression, but it seems to be associated with the absence of relapses. They're not only getting better, they're staying better," said study co-author Dr. Helen Mayberg, a professor in both the departments of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and neurology, at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. In deep brain stimulation, ... Read more

Related support groups: Bipolar Disorder

Psych Episode Near Childbirth May Presage Bipolar Disorder

Posted 9 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Dec. 9 – New mothers who experience a psychiatric disorder within 30 days after giving birth have an increased risk of developing bipolar disorder, according to a new study. Researchers examined data from more than 120,000 Danish women born between 1950 and 1991 who had received first-time psychiatric care either as an outpatient or an inpatient for any type of psychiatric disorder other than bipolar disorder. Of those women, 2,870 had first-time psychiatric contact within a year of giving birth to their first child. During follow-up, more than 3,000 of the 120,000 women were diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Of those, 132 had first-time psychiatric contact within a year after giving birth. Fifteen years later, bipolar disorder had been diagnosed in nearly 14 percent of women with initial contact within 30 days after giving birth compared with less than 5 percent of women who ... Read more

Related support groups: Bipolar Disorder, Psychiatric Disorders

Mixed Results Seen With 'Off-Label' Use of Antipsychotics

Posted 27 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Sept. 27 – Even though off-label use of atypical antipsychotic drugs is common, a new review finds that such use is only effective in a few conditions and can be harmful in others. Also known as "second-generation" antipsychotics, these drugs are approved in the United States for treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. But off-label use – or use not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – of these drugs to treat a number of other conditions is growing. Researchers analyzed findings from 393 clinical studies to gauge effectiveness and uncover harmful side effects when Risperdal, Zyprexa, Seroquel, Abilify, Geodon, Saphris, Fanapt and Invega were used outside of FDA-approved indications. Off-label use included treatment for behavioral symptoms in dementia, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, post-traumatic ... Read more

Related support groups: Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Insomnia, Seroquel, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Abilify, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Geodon, Zyprexa, Schizophrenia, Risperdal, Seroquel XR, Saphris, Risperidone

Genetic Links Seen Between Bipolar Illness and Schizophrenia

Posted 22 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Sept. 22 – There is a genetic link between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, two common and often disabling brain disorders, a new study indicates. Researchers identified 11 genetic regions, including six that had never been discovered before, which play a role in people's risk for these mental illnesses. The findings, they say, provide new insight into the causes of both conditions. "Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are debilitating illnesses affecting millions of people around the world, and existing therapies for these people are ineffective as long-term options," the bipolar study's lead author Dr. Pamela Sklar, chief of the division of psychiatric genomics in the department of psychiatry and a professor of psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, said in a news release. "We have been hard at work trying to determine genetic risk for these diseases so that we can ... Read more

Related support groups: Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia

Antipsychotics Best for Controlling Mania: Study

Posted 16 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Aug. 16 – The manic episodes experienced by those with bipolar disorder are better controlled by antipsychotic drugs than mood stabilizers, a new, large study suggests. Researchers from Italy and the United Kingdom also found that three antipsychotics – first-generation haloperidol (Haldol) along with later formulations of risperidone (Risperdal) and olanzapine (Zyprexa) – outperformed 11 other drugs. The scientists analyzed results from 68 randomized, controlled trials with more than 16,000 participants over a 30-year period. Mania typically alternates with depression in those with bipolar disorder, which tends to run in families and begin between the ages of 15 and 25, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Acute manic episodes – characterized by hyperactivity, racing thoughts and reckless behavior – are not experienced by all bipolar patients, but severe ... Read more

Related support groups: Bipolar Disorder, Seroquel, Abilify, Mania, Geodon, Zyprexa, Risperdal, Seroquel XR, Saphris, Risperidone, Haldol, Latuda, Quetiapine, Haloperidol, Clozapine

It May Be Possible to Predict Bipolar Mood Swings: Study

Posted 25 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, April 25 – A new study suggests that it's possible to predict future mood swings in bipolar people by monitoring their thoughts and behavior. Bipolar people suffer from extreme mood swings that veer between moments of emotional highs and euphoria to deep depression. In the new study, researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Lancaster in the United Kingdom followed 50 bipolar patients for a month, studying how they think and act. "Individuals who believed extreme things about their moods – for example, that their moods were completely out of their own control or that they had to keep active all the time to prevent becoming a failure – developed more mood problems in a month's time," study lead author Warren Mansell, of the University of Manchester's School of Psychological Sciences, said in a university news release. "In contrast, people with bipolar disorder who ... Read more

Related support groups: Bipolar Disorder

Abilify (aripiprazole) Approved for Maintenance Treatment of Bipolar I Disorder as an Adjunct to Either Lithium or Valproate

Posted 21 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com

PRINCETON, N.J. & TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 17, 2011 - Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Abilify (aripiprazole) as an adjunct to the mood stabilizers lithium or valproate for the maintenance treatment of Bipolar I Disorder. Abilify was approved as an adjunct to lithium or valproate for the acute treatment of manic or mixed episodes associated with Bipolar I Disorder in May 2008. Abilify is also approved as monotherapy for the acute treatment of manic or mixed episodes associated with Bipolar I Disorder and for the maintenance treatment of Bipolar I Disorder. Abilify has a boxed warning regarding increased mortality in elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis. Elderly patients treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. Abilify is not approved ... Read more

Related support groups: Bipolar Disorder, Abilify

Fluctuating Hormones Linked to More Severe Bipolar Symptoms

Posted 16 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Feb. 15 – In women with bipolar disorder, premenstrual mood changes are associated with more depressive episodes and more severe symptoms, researchers have found. The findings from the study of nearly 300 women offer evidence that premenstrual flare-ups of mood symptoms may be a clinical marker predicting greater severity of bipolar disorder in reproductive-age women, said Dr. Rodrigo Dias and colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital. The bipolar women with pre-mentrual mood changes had more episodes of depression and worse symptoms the following year, compared with bipolar women without premenstrual mood changes, the researchers found. The study is published in the Feb. 15 online edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry. Through their action on the central nervous system, estrogen and other reproductive hormones influence mood, the researchers explained. The time ... Read more

Related support groups: Bipolar Disorder, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

U.S. Sees Slowdown in Spending on Mental Health

Posted 5 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Feb. 4 – The amount of money spent on psychiatric drugs in the United States continues to grow but at a much slower rate than in previous years, a new federal government study has found. From 2004 to 2005, spending on psychiatric drugs rose 5.6 percent, compared with an increase of 27.3 percent between 1999 and 2000, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The agency's analysis of health-care costs from 1986 to 2005, the latest year comparable data is available, also found that spending on behavioral health accounts for a decreasing portion of overall health-care costs. Of the $1.85 trillion spent on all health-care services in the United States in 2005, behavioral health spending accounted for 7.3 percent ($135 billion). During the 20 years analyzed in the study, spending for mental health and substance abuse health care grew more slowly ... Read more

Related support groups: Anxiety, Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Anxiety and Stress, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Mania, Schizophrenia, Paranoid Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder

Health Tip: Symptoms That May Indicate Bipolar Disorder

Posted 27 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com

-- Bipolar disorder causes major mood swings, ranging from depression to manic (elevated) mood. The Journal of the American Medical Association says the following symptoms may indicate bipolar disorder: Manic phase: Unusually elevated mood. Anger or irritability. Speaking and thinking quickly. Rapidly jumping from topic to topic. Engaging in high-risk behaviors and making poor choices. Not feeling the need to sleep much. Depressive phase: Feeling very sad and down, without interest in things you once enjoyed. Feeling anxious, guilty, hopeless or crying. Abrupt changes in your weight. Abusing drugs. Having thoughts about suicide. Read more

Related support groups: Bipolar Disorder

For Many, Stigma of Mental Illness Lingers

Posted 24 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 24 – Persistent efforts to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness haven't succeeded as well as hoped, suggesting that new strategies might be necessary. For decades, a number of organizations have been trying to persuade the public that mental illnesses such as depression, alcohol dependence and schizophrenia are neurobiological disorders, not just people behaving badly, hoping that harsh judgments would subside. Even drug ads unintentionally bolstered the view of the mentally ill as having "lifelong" or permanent problems, with their emphasis on science-focused explanations of the brain mechanisms behind some mental illness, claims a study appearing in the November issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. This study compared people's responses to vignettes describing individuals with mental illness in surveys conducted a decade apart, in 1996 and 2006. ... Read more

Related support groups: Anxiety, Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Anxiety and Stress, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Mania, Schizophrenia, Paranoid Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder, Postpartum Depression, Oppositional Defiant Disorder

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