Metabolic Effects of Anti-Psychotic Medicines in Adolescents

When a new generation of anti-psychotic medications was introduced more than a decade ago physicians hoped these drugs represented a better way to treat mental illness. The expectation was that drugs such as Risperdal, Zyprexa, Abilify and Seroquel would be more effective and less risky than older medications like Thorazine or Mellaril. Past studies have shown that the newer drugs may not be significantly more effective. Now a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that these medications can cause serious weight gain leading to obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes in adolescents. These metabolic effects are ominous because they can lead to serious disease in adulthood.
[JAMA Oct. 28, 2009]