Anti-Psychotic Drugs cause diabetes, obesity and/or high cholesterol.

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http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/news-article.aspx?storyid=14004

 

Caution Urged on Anti-Psychotic Drugs

 

People taking certain drugs for schizophrenia, manic-depression, autism,

dementia or several other psychiatric disorders should be carefully watched for

signs they are developing diabetes, obesity or high cholesterol, four medical

societies say.

 

The recommendation follows recent studies that link those potential side effects

to certain anti-psychotic drugs.

 

The statement deals with six now available in the United States: Abilify,

Clozaril, Geodon, Risperdal, Seroquel and Zyprexa.

 

The recommendation, released Tuesday, comes from the American Diabetes

Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the North American

Association for the Study of Obesity, and the American Association of Clinical

Endocrinologists. It appears in the February issue of the journal Diabetes Care.

 

The medications differ in their risks of promoting the various side effects, the

statement says. So a patient who develops a problem with one drug can be

gradually switched over to another drug with less potential for that problem.

For example, a switchover should be considered if a patient has a weight gain of

5 percent or more, the statement says.

 

Obesity and diabetes, like high cholesterol, raise a person's risk of heart

disease.

 

The recommendation says doctors should screen patients before starting them on

such a drug or as soon as possible afterward, noting such things as a history of

obesity and diabetes in the patient and the family, and the patient's weight,

blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Doctors should also monitor the patient

once therapy has begun.

 

Patients and family members should be informed of the potential for the side

effects, and be told of signs of diabetes and especially those of a

life-threatening complication called diabetic ketoacidosis, the statement says.

That complication is marked by such symptoms as weight loss, nausea, vomiting,

rapid breathing and dehydration.

 

That complication has appeared in some people using anti-psychotics, and it was

an early tip-off that the drugs might be linked to diabetes.

 

 

 

Created: 1/27/2004 1:09:44 PM

Updated: 1/27/2004 1:11:01 PM

 

© 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved

 

 

 

 

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