Stimulants, But Not Cannabis, Predict Readmission for Psychosis
Prior admissions with stimulant disorder, but not a prior cannabis disorder diagnosis, are a negative prognostic sign in first-episode psychosis according to new research...
Effects of Psychotropic Drugs on Developing Brains: Protocol
Animal studies have raised concerns about SSRIs and ADHD stimulants inducing lasting abnormalities in the developing brain. Researchers from the University of Amsterdam are...
Paxil Boosts Estrogen, May Promote Breast Cancer Growth
A trial of a new process of identifying drugs that can disrupt sex hormones singled out Paxil from 446 common drugs as having a weak...
Adverse Emotional and Interpersonal Effects of Antidepressants
Adverse effects of antidepressants, including sexual difficulties and emotional numbing, apathy, suicidality and withdrawal effects may be more frequent than previously reported, according to...
ADHD Medication Does Not Improve School Achievement
The journal Science reviews the current state of research on ADHD medication, finding that the drugs do not improve school performance or achievement in...
Bipolar Patients Have High Drug Burden — Especially Women
Over one third of people with bipolar diagnoses admitted to a Rhode Island hospital were on four or more psychiatric medications, says research published...
Bereaved Parents Prescribed Meds Quickly, Stay on Meds Long-Term
MiA blogger Jeffrey Lacasse's study of psychiatric prescribing in response to perinatal/neonatal death (co-authored with Joanne Cacciatore) finds that 37% of participants in an...
Antipsychotics Ineffective Against Cocaine, Stimulant Addictions
Although cocaine and psychostimulant dependence are thought to be related to increased dopamine release, research from Tokyo and Long Island finds that the effect...
Fluoxetine in Adolescence Raises Sensitivity to Stress in Adults
Research on neurochemicals associated with moods in mice and rats finds that, while less depression-like behavior was observed in those receiving fluoxetine (Prozac) administration...
Prenatal Antidepressant Exposure Raises Risk to Newborn of Pulmonary Hypertension
Researchers from Canada find the risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn is increased for infants exposed to SSRIs in late pregnancy. Results...
Suicide Attempts Similar With Various Antidepressants for Children
Researchers from Vanderbilt University and the University of Alabama found, in a retrospective study of increased suicidal behavior among 36,842 children who were new...
ADHD Drugs Linked to Prolonged, Painful Erections
FDA regulators have updated the warning labels on methylphenidate products such as Ritalin, Focalin and Concerta to reflect reports of prolonged, painful erections (priapism)...
SSRIs Cause Epilepsy in Rats
Researchers from Australia find that chronic treatment with SSRIs significantly increases the rate of epileptogenesis in rats. Although SSRIs are commonly prescribed to people...
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome Linked to Polypharmacy, Benzos, and Race
Research from London and Taipei finds that neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is associated with the number of different antipsychotics used (polypharmacy), rather than the overall...
Benzos & Brain Tumors
Researchers in Taiwan found a 3.33x greater risk of benign brain tumors in patients who had been prescribed benzodiazepines for at least 2 months....
Antidepressants & Sexual Function
Two studies of the effects of antidepressants on sexual function - one on the relative effects across classes of antidepressants on men, the other...
U.K.’s Guardian Survey: “Your Experiences of Antidepressants”
The U.K. newspaper The Guardian asked readers of five newspapers in the U.K., Germany, France, Spain and Italy to talk about their experiences of...
One in Five Diagnosed With ADHD May Develop Cocaine Habit as Adults
Research from Boston University suggests that exposure to stimulant medications such as Ritalin during adolescence may result in cocaine addiction in later life. “You...
Risk of Bone Fractures With SSRIs Greater Than Thought
Researchers from McMaster University's Department of Medicine, presenting at this year's American Society for Bone and Mineral Research's annual meeting, found that the magnitude...
Int’l Task Force Doesn’t Endorse Antidepressants for Bipolar
Noting a "striking incongruity between the wide use of and the weak evidence base for the efficacy and safety of antidepressant drugs in bipolar,"...
Australia Reinforces Suicidality Warning on Strattera
Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has reinforced its warning to health professionals about the risk of suicidality associated with Straterra, after receiving reports of...
Antidepressants and Diabetes Risk
A meta-analysis by researchers from the U.K. finds an association between antidepressant use and a modestly increased risk of diabetes. “Our research shows that...
Short-Term SSRI Use Associated With Gastrointestinal Bleeding
Researchers find, through a review of records from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Database from 1998 to 2009, that short-term (7-28 day) use of...
No Support for Antidepressants Over Benzodiazepines for Anxiety
A review of all the relevant research comparing benzodiazepines (BDZ) to antidepressants (AD) for the treatment of anxiety was published Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics this Friday....
APA Recommends Reducing Antipsychotics for Children and Elderly Without Psychosis
The American Psychiatric Association, as part of the American Board of Internal Medicine's "Choosing Wisely" initiative, released new practice guidelines yesterday that advise against...
