Slew of New Studies Spot Links Between Psychiatric Medications and Bone Loss, Fractures
Four different studies conducted in different ways examining different groups have linked use of certain psychiatric drugs to bone fracture risks and negative impacts on human bone development.
Antidepressant-linked Suicide Data Doctored In Seminal Study
Several years after the information was first revealed, a published study has shown how an influential NIMH study doctored the real data about antidepressants and suicidal events in youth.
Clozapine-induced Stuttering Affects 1% Of Patients
A team of psychiatrists reviewed 654 cases in West Ireland to find that nearly 1% of all patients taking the antipsychotic clozapine had experienced clozapine-induced stuttering.
Antipsychotic Dose Reduction Linked To Long-term Improvements In First-Episode Schizophrenia Patients
Careful reductions in dosage levels of antipsychotic medications over time improved long-term rates of recovery and functional remission in patients diagnosed with a first-episode psychosis.
Antidepressants During Pregnancy Do Not Appear To Reduce Relapses And Hospitalizations
Continuing to take antidepressants during pregnancy was associated with higher rates of depressive relapses and hospitalizations than discontinuing.
Many Teens Start Misusing Stimulants By Age 13
An equal percentage of young people will start misusing ADHD-related and other stimulant drugs for the first time at age 13 as will start at age 20.
Psychotropics Linked to Worse Physical Problems and Mortality in Psychiatric Patients
Common psychotropic medications may be contributing to the higher rates of physical illnesses and mortality in people diagnosed with mental illnesses.
Antidepressants Tied To Increased Risk of Homicide “Only Modestly”; Benzodiazepines More So
Taking antidepressant or benzodiazepine medications increases the risks that a person will commit a homicide, according to a study from Finland published in a World Psychiatry letter.
Evidence Strengthening that Common Benzodiazepine Sedatives May Cause Dementia
A meta-analysis of studies found that the risk of dementia increased 22% for every additional twenty daily doses of benzodiazepine medications annually.
SSRI Antidepressants Appear to Raise Risk of Serious Respiratory Disease in Newborns
A new study has reinforced earlier warnings that taking SSRI antidepressants late in pregnancy appears to put mothers at a slightly increased risk of having newborns with persistent pulmonary hypertension.
Children’s Positive Responses to Antidepressants “Minimal” After Four Weeks
Children's positive responses to SSRI antidepressant treatments for depression are even less significant than adult responses, and do not last beyond four weeks.
Reanalysis of Data Shows Antidepressant Impacts on Depression “Not Clinically Significant”
Irving Kirsch and Joanna Moncrieff have reanalyzed the clinical trial data on antidepressants.
Long-acting Injection No Better than Oral Antipsychotic
A study of 5-year outcomes for people taking either an ordinary oral antipsychotic or a long-acting injection of an antipsychotic found no differences between the two.
Antidepressants Linked to Increased Risk of Preeclampsia in Pregnancy
Pregnant women taking antidepressant medications, especially during the second trimester, have an increased risk of preeclampsia, a potentially serious or even fatal condition.
Antipsychotic-induced Sexual Dysfunction Underreported
Researchers found some antipsychotics to be worse than others for causing sexual dysfunction.
Lithium May Cause Sexual Dysfunction — More Research Needed
Lithium appears to reduce libido and sexual function, and more research into the problem is needed.
Antidepressant Caused Six-fold Artery Plaque Build-up in Monkeys
Zoloft caused up to six-fold increases in build-up of atherosclerosis plaque in the coronary arteries of monkeys.
PTSD and Antidepressants Linked to Diabetes
A JAMA Psychiatry study found links between PTSD, type 2 diabetes, and antidepressants.
Children on Antipsychotics 50% More Likely to Develop Diabetes
Antipsychotic drugs increased the risk of children developing diabetes by 50%, and with an antidepressant added, their risk doubled.
More Evidence Antidepressants Might Induce Sexual Dysfunction Even After Stopping Them
A retrospective study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry examined cases of people who suffered sexual dysfunction that endured even after stopping taking SSRI antidepressants.
Psychotropics During Pregnancy Raise Risk of Babies with Low Birth Weight, Hospitalizations
The use by mothers of any of four major classes of psychiatric medications during pregnancy significantly raises the risk that their babies will be born with low birth weights and will need to be hospitalized.
Many People Taking Antidepressants Don’t Have Any Mental Disorders
The majority of people taking antidepressant medications have never had major depressive disorder, and 38% have never met criteria for having any mental disorder.
Antipsychotics Even Riskier For The Elderly Than Previously Thought
Antipsychotic medications that are commonly being used to help control behaviors in elderly people with dementia seem to be causing premature deaths at high rates.
Long-term Use of Lithium Can Cause Kidney Failure
A third of patients who have taken the common psychiatric medication lithium for over ten years have developed "chronic renal failure" from the drug.
Antipsychotic Use in Nursing Homes Causing Many Adverse Effects in Elderly
A literature review found that the extensive off-label use of antipsychotic medications in nursing homes is causing many adverse effects and providing limited benefits.
