foodconsumer.org: Antipsychotic Drug Use Linked to Immediate Weight

Antipsychotic Drug Use Linked to Immediate Weight
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admin on 10/27/2009 22:17:00
 
By Rachel  Stockton
A new study  being published in the next Journal of the American Medical
Association is  reporting on research done on the newest generation of
anti-psychotics:  Seroquel, Abilify, Zyprexa and  Risperadal.  The researchers
made a  startling discovery with regards to the medications and the effect they
have on  adolescents.
In studying  255 students taking the drugs, they found that they all gained
8-15% of their  body weight after taking the pills for less than 12 weeks.  The
biggest weight gain occurred in  those taking Zyprexa.  The rapid  weight loss
translates into some kids gaining 1.5 pounds a week; those taking  Abilify,
which caused the least amount of weight gain over the other three,  still gained
1 pound a week.
The drugs are  used to treat those who have schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
1.  However, physicians have been  prescribing them for other off label reasons,
such as treating ADHD and anxiety  disorders.  A 2008 study conducted  by the
Affiliated Research Institute in San Diego, showed that Seroquel XR was 
effective at treating anxiety disorders.  Compared to other drugs, Seroquel XR
began to significantly alleviate  symptoms by Day 4.
What is  concerning to the researchers is the fact that weight gained at an
early age has  tremendous impact on future health.  Obesity can lead to diabetes
and all of its horrific complications.
An earlier  study conducted by Vanderbilt University showed that people who took
these  antipsychotics were twice as likely to experience sudden cardiac death as
those  who did not take them.  Up until  this study, which was published January
2009 in the New England Journal of  Medicine, physicians believed that the newer
antipsychotics would lower cardiac  risk, compared to the older drugs.
A 2008 study  conducted by the Washington University School of Medicine in St.
Louis, first  demonstrated the correlation of weight gain and antipsychotics.  
Research showed that every child  they studied (of those on one of these
medications) had a significant increase  in body weight (WebMd).   
Additionally, their triglycerides  shot up by 20 points, on average.  Heart
disease, the researchers said, is the number 1 killer of those with  mental
disorders.