Since the late 1980s new antipsychotic agents with different mechanisms of action from conventional antipsychotics have been developed and widely adopted in the treatment of schizophrenia. The main advantage of these newer antipsychotics is a reduction of extrapyramidal side effects. Extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) are the various movement disorders.
Common EPS are akathisia (restlessness), dystonia (muscular spasms of neck (torticollis), eyes (oculogyric crisis), tongue, or jaw), Drug-Induced Parkinsonian Syndrome (muscle stiffness, shuffling gait, drooling, tremour), and tardive dyskinesia (involuntary, irregular muscle movements, usually in the face).
However, they are associated with a different spectrum of side effects, including:
These metabolic effects may pose a burden as serious as the extrapyramidal effects. As Prozac sales dive in the face of competition Zyprexa, one of the newer schizophrenia treatments without the EPS side effects, has become the most important drug for its maker, Lilly. Zyprexa worries were fanned by the recent medical reports of diabetes incidence among Zyprexa patients. Researchers say that blood-sugar problems also accompany other schizophrenia drugs.
What evidence shows that Zyprexa increases diabetes?
Evidence to date convinces leading psychiatry researchers that Zyprexa does pose a greater risk of diabetes than other widely prescribed -- and equally effective -- schizophrenia drugs. For the large number of psychiatric patients who have pre-existing risk factors for diabetes or heart disease, informed psychiatrists have started to prescribe the rival drugs.
Blaming any psychiatric drug for diabetes is complicated by other risk factors. Apart from any drugs, the two million Americans with schizophrenia suffer more diabetes and heart disease than does the general population. Lifestyle accounts for some of the increased frequency of heart disease and diabetes among schizophrenics. Such folks typically smoke more, eat unhealthy foods and get less exercise. Patients receiving strong psychiatric drugs usually are obese at an above-average rate.
British Medical Journal August 3, 2002;325(7358):243 (Full Text Article)
This makes perfect sense to me. Drugs are in no way, shape or form the answer for mental illness. They may control symptoms, but at quite a significant price. Why exchange one set of horrible side effects for diabetes?
Makes no sense to me, unless you are the drug company. Then it makes perfects "cents".
Fortunately we do have some natural options. Dr. Stoll is the director of the psychopharmacology research lab at Boston's McLean Hospital and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He discusses the use of omega-3 extensively in his book The Omega-3 Connection. He reviews the new evidence supporting the use of omega-3 oils for mental illness.
The book is excellent, but Dr. Stoll is seriously misinformed about cod liver oil. This is especially true for schizophrenia; this disease seems to respond particularly well to therapeutic doses of vitamin D.
A study I posted earlier this year strongly connected the dots from sunshine and vitamin D to prevent schizophrenia.
Optimal exposure to sunlight can provide enough vitamin D, but for most of us the winter provides a major lack of sun exposure and our levels fall in the dirt. Fortunately cod liver oil can be used to replace this level to near-ideal ranges.
There is some potential toxicity to vitamin D so you will want to be careful to monitor your vitamin D level. You can read the article below for instructions.
My favorite source of both omega-3 and vitamin D happens to be Carlson's fish oil. We will be carrying this on our site by October!
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