Antipsychotics Being Prescribed to More U.S. Children, Despite Side Effects

Despite concerns about potential side effects associated with antipsychotic medications, such as Seroquel, Risperdal, Zyprexa and Abilify, a new study suggests that one-in-three minors that go to see a psychiatrist are prescribed the powerful prescription medications.

According to research published online this week by the Archives of General Psychiatry, children are now being prescribed antipsychotic medications at a higher rate than adults

Researchers reviewed data from 2003 to 2009, finding that visits resulting in a prescription for anti-psychotic medications increased at a more rapid rate for youths than they did for adults. The most commonly prescribed disorders in children were disruptive disorders, such as ADHD and autism, as opposed to depression and bipolar disorders in adults.

While nearly 29% of visits for adults included an anti-psychotic drug prescription, 31% included such a prescription for youth visits to a psychiatrist.

“Antipsychotic treatment has increased especially rapidly among young people, and recently antipsychotics have been prescribed in approximately the same proportion of youth and adult visits to psychiatrists,” said Dr. Mark Olfson, professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University in New York and lead author of the study.

Concerns About Antipsychotic Drug Side Effects for Children

The study highlighted metabolic safety concerns of the antipsychotic medications, especially when off-label use is considered. Side effects of antipsychotic drugs may include weight gain and antipsychotic-associated diabetes. Yet the drugs appear to be prescribed with little to no regard for the long-term effects.

A similar study published last year in the Archives of General Psychiatry found that patients gained 11 to 13 pounds after taking Zyprexa for only six to eight weeks. Patients also experienced an increase in glucose, cholesterol triglycerides and insulin levels when given a variety of atypical antipsychotics.

Studies regarding the effects of such drugs for children, especially when prescribed for unapproved uses, have been found to cause weight gain and to also quadruple the risk of developing diabetes in children under the age of 18. Additional studies have also found that many other side effects may also include urinary problems and even death.

Authors of the study published August 6, said the focus was “on antipsychotic prescribing practices in the community, especially on the extent to which antipsychotics are used to treat disorders for which there is limited empirical evidence of efficacy.”

With not much evidence concerning its efficacy on youths; yet a higher prescribing rate, questions are raised as to the necessity of such prescriptions related to disruptive behaviors of this nature.

The findings account for visits to doctors’ offices only, not clinics, community health centers or other medical centers.

Last year, an outside panel of experts voted to recommend that the FDA continue safety monitoring of antipsychotics and the risks for children. Such medications may pose a serious long-term health risk for children. The advisory panel has urged the FDA to conduct further in-depth studies on the weight gain side effects of atypical antipsychotics since 2009, some of which have been prescribed to toddlers as young as two years-old.