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In the New York Times article, "Leading Drugs for Psychosis
Come Under New Scrutiny," Erica Goode details why the new
generation of anti-psychotic drugs, called atypicals, may have
dangerous side effects and may not be as effective as was previously
thought.
When atypicals were first released 14 years ago, they were
promoted as being much safer than older drugs used to treat
schizophrenia. However, now some scientists are questioning
the drugs’ effectiveness and say they can lead to serious
side effects such as diabetes, which may lead to death.
The controversy grows even more serious as the drugs are
also being prescribed to people with manic depression, Alzheimer's
disease, personality disorders and non-psychotic depression,
and for cases of severe aggression in children.
In 2002, prescriptions for the two
leading drugs alone, Zyprexa and Risperdal, reached more than
15 million, and national sales of anti-psychotics reached
$6.4 billion. This made them the fourth-highest-selling class
of drugs after cholesterol-lowering drugs, ulcer drugs and
antidepressants.
While the newer anti-psychotics do appear to carry a lower
risk of tardive dyskinesia,
a disorder that causes repetitive movements that was associated
with the older drugs, patients may now be faced with the risk
of diabetes (type 2 and type 1), hyperglycemia, and excessive
weight gain, which have all been associated with the newer
atypicals.
The article includes a detailed look at the drugs’ potential
side effects as well as their growth since 1990.
To
read the entire article, please visit the New York Times
site below. You will need to register (it’s free) with
the New York Times site to view the article.
New
York Times May 20, 2003
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