Science News: Psychiatric Drugs

Antidepressant Use in Pregnancy Harms Child Development, Untreated Maternal Depression Shows Benefit

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In this new study, exposure to maternal anxiety in utero also harmed child development.

Study Highlights Difficulty of Antipsychotic Withdrawal

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New research finds insomnia, anxiety, and depression are common symptoms of antipsychotic withdrawal, highlighting difficulties of discontinuation.

Common Side Effects Leading to Antidepressant Discontinuation

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New research finds the negative drug effects most commonly associated with initiating antidepressant discontinuation are anxiety, suicidal thoughts, vomiting, and rashes.

Antidepressant Use Linked to Sexual Dysfunction, Why Aren’t Prescribers Discussing It?

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Research sheds light on the impact of antidepressants on sexual dysfunction, emphasizing the need for patient-physician communication.

Antidepressant Use Tightly Correlates with Increased Suicide Rates

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While the study can’t confirm causality, it does contradict the notion that antidepressants reduce suicide at the population level.

Despite Safety Risks, Prescribers Receive Little Guidance of Monitoring Antipsychotic Clozapine

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A new review finds a lack of available guidance on how to effectively monitor adverse effects of antipsychotic drug clozapine.
3D illustration of a matrix with tablets and the words risks and benefits. Concept of clinical trials results

Two Out of Three Find Antidepressant Effects Not Worth Burdens

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New study reveals: 2 in 3 people need more than the current antidepressant benefits to consider them worthwhile.
Pattern of blue and yellow pills or tablets on a pink background. concept of medicine, pharmacy and coronavirus. copy space

SSRI Withdrawal has Social, Cognitive, and Emotional Consequences

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New research finds that the non-physical aspects of withdrawal from SSRIs are often overlooked.

Antidepressant Exposure In Utero May Negatively Impact Motor Skills in 2-Year-Old Children

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A new study in Frontiers of Pharmacology finds that antidepressant use during pregnancy is linked to reduced motor skills in children at 2 years...
3D render of placebo pills isolated over wood background

Placebo Effect—Not Antidepressants—Responsible for Depression Improvement

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In adolescent depression treatment, those who received a placebo but thought they received Prozac improved more than those who received the drug and knew it.
Young man refusing to take prescribed pills in clinic

Antipsychotics Lead to Worse Outcomes in First-Episode Psychosis

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Those who did not get antipsychotics in the first month were almost twice as likely to be in recovery after five years.

Stop Using Antidepressants Except for “the Most Severe Depression,” Experts Say

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Experts advocate limiting antidepressant use to only the most severe cases of depression, emphasizing the need for social and psychological interventions.

ADHD Drugs Linked to Cardiovascular Disease

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Service users taking drugs to treat ADHD may be at increased risk for hypertension and arterial disease
Illustration of man sitting on a red and white pill. He holds his head with pain symbols in the air above him.

Adding Antipsychotics Worsens Outcomes in Psychotic Depression

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Outcomes were worse for all, with young people on combination therapy twice as likely to experience rehospitalization or death by suicide than those on antidepressants alone.

Only One of Five Key Xanax Trials Deemed Positive by F.D.A.

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The published literature is misleading, as the negative Xanax trials either went unpublished or were spun to appear positive.
Pregnant woman visiting young psychologist

Animal Study Shows Impact of Prozac in Pregnancy on the Child

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Researchers found that rats born to mothers given the antidepressant Prozac during pregnancy or breastfeeding exhibited varied behavioral and developmental effects, with implications for the understanding of antidepressant impacts during human pregnancies.

Mental Health Staff Reluctant to Support Service Users in Tapering Antipsychotics, Study Finds

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Study reveals schizophrenia patients find little support from mental health staff in reducing side effects-heavy drugs.

SSRI Use During Pregnancy Alters the Child’s Brain Development

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Reduced brain volumes due to SSRI exposure in pregnancy was not explained by maternal depression alone.
Pile of pills in blister packs background

Psychiatric Journals’ Pro-Pharma Publication Bias Hides Suicide Risk of Antidepressants

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Selective publication bias in top psychiatry journals was not explained by the quality of the studies, but by financial ties to pharma.
Top View of Girl Sits on Bed with Scattered Pills. Little Child Sitting on Gray Badcover Near Opened Packing of Medicines Keeps Head with Hands. Unhappy Childhood Concept

Antidepressants Increase Suicide Attempts in Youth; No Preventative Effect

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Researchers find that SSRIs increase suicide attempts up to age 24, and have no preventative effect at any age, even for those at high risk of suicide.

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Rxisk maintains a searchable database of adverse effects of prescription drugs that have been reported to the FDA in the United States, Health Canada, and to RxISK.