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Antipsychotics Do Help Many With Schizophrenia, Study Finds

Posted 3 May 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, May 3 – A new study finds that antipsychotic drugs can help many people with schizophrenia, cutting patients' risk of relapse by 60 percent. The study, involving data stretching back 50 years, also found that schizophrenia patients who take antipsychotics are much less likely to be hospitalized and may behave less aggressively and have a better quality of life than patients who don't take the drugs. One expert said the finding mirrors what he and other professionals have experienced. The data "is consistent with what we see in clinical practice – that we are very well able to keep our patients functioning better and out of the hospital when they consistently take these medications," said Dr. Roberto Estrada, attending psychiatrist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. The findings are published in the May 3 online edition of The Lancet. In the study, German researchers ... Read more

Prenatal Antipsychotic Drugs Linked to Motor Delays: Study

Posted 3 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, April 3 – Infants born to mothers who take antipsychotic medications during pregnancy have significantly lower than normal scores on a standard test of movement, posture and reflexes, a new study has found. Antipsychotic drugs often are used in the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Researchers from Emory University in Atlanta compared the neuromotor skills of more than 300 infants at age 6 months. Some of the babies' mothers took either antipsychotic drugs or antidepressants during pregnancy, and some took no psychiatric medications. Infants born to mothers who took antipsychotics had much lower scores on the neuromotor test than those born to mothers who took antidepressants or no psychiatric medications. Only 19 percent of infants exposed to antipsychotic medications had normal test results. "Future investigations are warranted to disentangle the relative ... Read more

Antipsychotic Drugs Might Raise Heart Attack Risk: Study

Posted 28 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, March 28 – Antipsychotic drugs can raise the risk of heart attack in older patients with dementia, a new study suggests. It's common to prescribe antipsychotics to older patients with dementia to control symptoms such as agitation, hallucinations and aggression. Previous studies have found that this use of the drugs may be linked to an increased risk of stroke and death from all causes. But until now, the risk of heart attack associated with the use of antipsychotic drugs in older people with dementia had been "poorly examined," wrote study author Dr. Antoine Pariente, of Universite Bordeaux Segalen in France, and colleagues. They looked at nearly 11,000 patients, aged 66 and older, in Quebec who were being treated with cholinesterase inhibitors for dementia and were also prescribed antipsychotics. Within a year of starting treatment with the antipsychotics, 1.3 percent of ... Read more

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

Certain Antipsychotics Up Risk of Death for Patients With Dementia: Study

Posted 23 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Feb. 23 Compared to other antipsychotic drugs, haloperidol (Haldol) raises the risk of death in elderly patients with dementia, a new study finds. One outside expert believes the finding should aid in dementia care. "This data provides much-needed guidance and reassurance for the ever-increasing number of health care practitioners treating older demented patients," said Dr. Gisele Wolf-Klein, director of geriatric education at the North Shore-LIJ Health System in New Hyde Park, N.Y. The study was published online Feb. 23 in the British Medical Journal. In 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned that certain antipsychotic drugs are associated with an increased risk of death in elderly patients with dementia. This warning was expanded to include conventional antipsychotics in 2008, according to a journal news release. The authors of the new study said that, despite ... Read more

Atypical Antipsychotics Appear to Be Effective For Only Few Off-Label Uses

Posted 28 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

CHICAGO—A review of previous studies suggests that even though atypical antipsychotic medications are commonly used for off-label conditions such as behavioral symptoms of dementia, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, these medications are effective for only a few off-label conditions, and that the benefits and harms of these medications for these uses vary, according to an article in the September 28 issue of JAMA. "Atypical antipsychotic medications are approved for marketing and labeling by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression under drug-specific circumstances. The use of atypical antipsychotic medications is rapidly increasing in the United States, with 1 study estimating an increase from 6.2 million to 14.3 million treatment visits between 1995 and 2008. The estimated use of these drugs for off-label i ... Read more

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

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

Patients Taking Antipsychotics Urged to Get Routine Physicals

Posted 12 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Aug. 12 – Patients who take antipsychotic medications aren't being adequately monitored for dangerous health complications, researchers have found. Known as "metabolic complications," these conditions are common among patients taking antipsychotic drugs. For example, up to 60 percent have lipid (blood fat) abnormalities such as high cholesterol, 40 percent have high blood pressure and 30 percent have metabolic syndrome. It's believed that about 90 percent of patients who take antipsychotic drugs have at least one metabolic risk factor, the researchers said. Metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of risk factors that raise the risk for heart disease, diabetes and stroke. The risk factors include abdominal obesity, high blood fat levels, high blood pressure and high levels of blood sugar. The risk of metabolic complications is especially high in schizophrenia patients treated ... Read more

Use of Antipsychotic Medication For Reducing Symptoms of Military-Related Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Does Not Appear Effective

Posted 3 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

CHICAGO, Aug. 2, 2011—Patients with military-related, chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and symptoms that were not improved with use of an antidepressant medication did not experience a reduction in PTSD symptoms with use of the antipsychotic medication risperidone, according to a study in the August 3 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights. Posttraumatic stress disorder is among the most common and disabling psychiatric disorders among military personnel serving in combat. Antidepressants are the predominant pharmacotherapy for PTSD, and within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), 89 percent of veterans diagnosed with PTSD and treated with pharmacotherapy are prescribed serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), according to background information in the article. "However, SRIs appear to be less effective in men than in women and less effective in c ... Read more

Antipsychotic Doesn't Ease PTSD in Vets, Study Finds

Posted 2 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Aug. 2 – An antipsychotic drug widely used to treat soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may not be as effective as once thought. A new study in the Aug. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that six months' treatment with risperidone did not reduce veterans' PTSD symptoms, including anxiety, paranoia and depression, or improve their quality of life. "Obviously, this gives us pause" about using risperidone to treat patients who aren't responding to antidepressants, said study author Dr. John H. Krystal, director of the clinical neuroscience division at the Veterans Administration's National Center for PTSD. Some 10 percent to 20 percent of soldiers returning from war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan develop PTSD – a condition marked by emotional numbing, nightmares, flashbacks of terrifying events and severe anxiety – with very ... Read more

Half of Patients with Parkinson's Disease and Psychosis Treated With Antipsychotic Agents, Including Drugs that May Worsen Parkinson Symptoms

Posted 12 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com

CHICAGO—Half of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and psychosis receive prescriptions for anti-psychotic (AP) agents, including drugs that have the potential to worsen Parkinson symptoms, and the frequency of use of these agents has not changed since a warning about using these drugs in patients with dementia and PD was issued, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. According to background information in the article, many individuals with a diagnosis of PD—including up to 45,000 of those living in the United States—eventually develop psychosis. "However," the authors write, "AP use in PD is complicated by is potential to worsen parkinsonism and limited evidence for efficacy." Parkinson's disease is also associated with dementia and complications of that condition, which may be exacerbated by APs; a "black box" warning abo ... Read more

Parkinson's Patients Still Prescribed Antipsychotics Despite Warning

Posted 11 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, July 11 – Antipsychotic drugs are still prescribed to more than half of U.S. patients with Parkinson's disease and psychosis even though a warning that these drugs can worsen Parkinson's symptoms was issued six years ago, a new study reveals. Many Parkinson's disease patients, including as many as 45,000 in the United States, eventually develop psychosis, meaning their thoughts are sometimes disconnected from reality. Parkinson's disease is also associated with dementia and complications of that condition, which may be exacerbated by antipsychotic drugs, according to the researchers. In 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered antipsychotic drug packages to carry a "black box" warning about the risks the drugs pose to Parkinson's patients. In the new study, published in the July issue of the journal Archives of Neurology, researchers analyzed Veterans Affairs data ... Read more

FDA Medwatch Alert: Risperdal (risperidone) and Risperidone: Recall - Uncharacteristic Odor

Posted 20 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com

ISSUE: Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals notified healthcare professionals and the public of a recall of specific lots of Risperdal (risperidone) 3mg tablets and risperidone 2mg tablets. The recall stems from consumer reports of an uncharacteristic odor thought to be caused by trace amounts of TBA (2,4,6 tribromoanisole). TBA is a byproduct of a chemical preservative sometimes applied to wood often used in the construction of pallets on which materials are transported and stored. While not considered to be toxic, TBA can generate an offensive odor and a small number of patients have reported temporary gastrointestinal symptoms. BACKGROUND: The Risperdal lot 0GG904 - which includes approximately 16,000 bottles - was shipped between 8/27/2010 and 2/15/2011. The company believes there are approximately 1,600 bottles of Risperdal from this lot remaining in the marketplace. The ... Read more

Related support groups: Risperdal, Risperidone, Risperdal Consta, Risperdal M-Tab

FDA Medwatch Alert: Risperidone (Risperdal) and Ropinirole (Requip): Medication Errors - Name Confusion

Posted 14 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com

ISSUE: FDA notified healthcare professionals and the public of medication error reports in which patients were given risperidone (Risperdal) instead of ropinirole (Requip) and vice versa. In some cases, patients who took the wrong medication needed to be hospitalized. The FDA determined that the factors contributing to the confusion between the two products include: Similarities of both the brand (proprietary) and generic (established) names Similarities of the container labels and carton packaging Illegible handwriting on prescriptions Overlapping product characteristics, such as the drug strengths, dosage forms, and dosing intervals. BACKGROUND: Risperidone (Risperdal) is an antipsychotic medication used to treat mental illnesses including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and irritability associated with autistic disorder. Ropinirole (Requip) is a dopamine agonist used in the ... Read more

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Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder, Autism, Asperger Syndrome