First generation antipsychotic drugs as effective as newer ones in som...(ide effects Sikich said. Both olanzapine...),Health

Date:9/14/2008

ide effects, Sikich said. Both olanzapine and risperidone were associated with significant weight gain and could put young patients at risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. In fact, the National Institute of Mental Health, which sponsored the study, halted recruitment into the olanzapine arm of the study because of the weight gain problem and the resulting increase in cholesterol and glucose levels.

Olanzapine should not be a first-line therapy in adolescents, Sikich said.

Both the older typical antipsychotics and newer atypical ones block dopamine receptors in the brain, but the newer drugs also interact with serotonin receptors and cause fewer muscle side effects, including stiffness, muscle cramps, restlessness and involuntary movements. With some older drugs, the involuntary movements can lead to permanent physical disabilities.

There were more reported cases of restlessness with molindone treatment than with either of the two newer treatments. Participants treated with molindone were also required to receive another drug, benztropine, to decrease muscle cramps and stiffness.

Brandon Constantineau, 18, of Wilmington, N.C., enrolled in the TEOSS study about four years ago. He was initially prescribed olanzapine but quickly began gaining weight, ultimately adding more than 45 pounds over 36 weeks. He was switched to molindone and gained about 8 pounds over the next 31 weeks and saw improvements similar to those with olanzapine. But, probably as a result of being on olanzapine, Sikich said, Brandon developed fatty liver disease and was ultimately prescribed two other medications.

Brandons case also highlights two other points Sikich makes in the study: the benefits of proper diagnosis and the need for more effective medications.

He was treated when he was very young, about 3, for ADHD, said Brandons father, Richard Constantineau. But medications and other therapies didnt help, and Brandon grew violent.

At th
'/>"/>

Contact: Clinton Colmenares ccolmena@unch.unc.edu 919-966-8757 University of North Carolina School of Medicine Source:Eurekalert

0 GOOD

Page: 1 2 3
Related medicine news :

1. Vasculitis Foundation Integrates Education, Outreach and Technology in First-Ever Webinar on Potentially Life-Threatening Disease
2. The Cancer Genome Atlas reports first results, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center collaborates
3. The Decline of Males, Why They Die First; at White Plains Hospital September 17
4. Kids Fever Time Cut Using Ibuprofen First
5. Ethiopia First Nation to Sign National Health Partnership Compact
6. Cogdell Spencer Announces First Synergy Project in Pensacola, Florida
7. Australian over-50s walk away memory problems in world-first trial
8. The first autism disease genes
9. Chrigu Wins Grand Prize at First Ever International Documentary Film Festival on Cancer
10. Abbott Fund to Build First Pediatric HIV/AIDS Clinic in Tanzania
11. San Francisco Bay Area Cell Analysis Company Forges Partnership With Hudson Control Group as First Step in Automation Initiative to Support Drug Discovery Research