Antipsychotics During Pregnancy Linked to Infant Problems

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“Live, healthy babies are the most common outcome following the use of antipsychotic medication in pregnancy,” conclude Australian researchers in a study that was...

African American and Hispanic Youth Discontinue ADHD Treatment at Higher Rates than White Youth

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Study examines racial and ethnic disparities in the quality of care for Medicaid-enrolled children starting ADHD medication.

More Evidence Antidepressants Might Induce Sexual Dysfunction Even After Stopping Them

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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.

Strategies for Tapering and Discontinuing Antidepressants

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A new review of strategies to support both patients and practitioners through the process of discontinuing antidepressants.

Social Support Improves Antipsychotic Discontinuation, Study Finds

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A new study explores how people manage to discontinue antipsychotic medication and examines how social supports may improve outcomes.

British Medical Association Takes On Prescription Drug Dependence

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Last year the British Medical Association (BMA) released a report on dependence and withdrawal from prescription drugs including benzodiazepines, z-drugs, opioids, and antidepressants. Now,...

Pfizer Sued Over Zoloft’s Failure to Beat Placebo

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A lawsuit filed Wednesday in San Jose, California seeks federal approval for two class-action lawsuits representing all U.S. users of the antidepressant Zoloft, accusing...

Study Shows Success With Reduced Antipsychotic Use

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People who reduced antipsychotic use by tapering were doing just as well after five years as those who continued using the drugs.

Increased Risk of Preterm Birth in Women Taking Antidepressants

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A detailed meta-analysis of the published research on women taking antidepressants during pregnancy finds that the rate of preterm birth is nearly doubled in the third...

Prenatal Exposure to SSRIs Significantly Increases Autism & Developmental Delays

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Research on 966 mother-child pairs from the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) Study finds that prenatal SSRI exposure was nearly 3...

Withdrawal Symptoms Cloud Findings of Antidepressant “Relapse” Trial

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Leading researchers point out that a new antidepressant study in NEJM failed to account for withdrawal symptoms, casting doubt on the results.

New Antidepressant Shows Little Benefit, Significant Risks

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Patient Drug News advises avoiding use of the antidepressant Vortioxetine (also called Brintellix or Trintellix), because the most recent evidence from the FDA shows...

Smoking Cessation and Psychiatric Drugs Cause the Most Suicidal and Homicidal Reactions

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The popular smoking cessation drug Chantix is the medication that most frequently makes people feel suicidal or homicidal, according to figures gathered by the...

Thoughtful Insight, Not Lack of It, Drives Some Patients to Quit Psychiatric Medications

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Rather than a "lack of insight," it is actually a thoughtful weighing of complex risks and benefits that ultimately drives some people diagnosed with bipolar disorder to eschew psychiatric medications, according to a qualitative study in the Journal of Affective Disorders. And these people often develop sophisticated strategies in their efforts to manage without medications.

Sexual Dysfunction from Antipsychotics Common — But Poorly Monitored by Physicians

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Describing the prevalence and management of adverse effects from antipsychotics as "a neglected area" of study, a team of researchers from the UK has published a systematic review in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. They aimed to identify the prevalence of, and management strategies for nine categories of adverse effects, including sedation, weight gain, metabolic syndrome, sexual dysfunction and cardiovascular effects.

Antidepressants Actually Reduce Serotonin Levels

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Common scientific beliefs about serotonin levels in depression and how antidepressants act on the brain appear to be completely backwards.

New Rating Tool for Tapering Antidepressants and Antipsychotics

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Researchers developed a rating scale to better assess service users’ experiences tapering antidepressant and/or antipsychotic medication.

Biological Explanations for Antidepressant Withdrawal

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Two South African researchers review scientific understanding of the brain changes that lead to antidepressant discontinuation syndrome (ADS) in Human Psycho-pharmacology: Clinical and Experimental....

Evidence Lacking for Antidepressant Safety in Nursing Mothers

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A scientific review says we need to know much more about the risks of nursing mothers taking SSRIs.

Researcher: 60,000 Americans Now Taking Antipsychotics Will Die Prematurely

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-A fired government health economist says that his research was showing that 60,000 Americans now taking antipsychotic medications will die prematurely.

Autism, Antidepressants, and Pregnancy: The Basics

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This month, the seventh study and eighth study came out on the topic of antidepressant exposure during pregnancy and autism.  And these studies showed, as essentially all of the others have, that antidepressant use during pregnancy (principally with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs) is associated with autism in the exposed children. With so many children being diagnosed with autism and so many women taking antidepressants during pregnancy, everyone wants to know: are these things (the antidepressants) associated with autism or not?  Quite frankly no one has the time to read through all eight scientific papers (and dozens more animal and basic science studies) to understand this important area, so I will do my best to briefly summarize it here.

Obesity in Men Diagnosed With ADHD as Children

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A 33-year controlled, prospective study conducted as a collaboration by researchers in New York, Mexico, and Verona, Italy found that men diagnosed with ADHD...

2X Risk of Postpartum Hemorrhage Antidepressants

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A study of 106,000 pregnant women with a diagnosis of mood or anxiety disorder, by researchers from Harvard, Duke, Michigan State and the university...

Antipsychotic Drug Associated with Potentially Fatal Skin Rash

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The US Food and Drug Administration is warning the public that the antipsychotic medication ziprasidone "is associated with a rare but serious skin reaction...

Certain Antidepressants, Sleep Aids Associated with Higher Dementia Risk

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Greater cumulative doses of drugs that are anticholinergic or block the neurotransmitter acetylcholine are associated with significant increases in dementia and Alzheimer's.