[ad_1]
A new study reveals that many prescriptions of antipsychotics in children and adolescents with Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) do not appear to be clinically justified.
The results, published in the journal JAMA Network open now, show that less than half of the young people in the study who had been prescribed antipsychotics were first treated with stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin, the recommended drug treatment for ADHD.
"We did not know how widespread this practice was among young people who were starting treatment for ADHD," said lead author Mark Olfson, MD, MH, Elizabeth K Dollard, professor of psychiatry, medicine and law at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Vagelos. "The use of antipsychotics in young people carries significant risks, including weight gain, hyperlipidemia, diabetes and even unexpected death."
In recent years, pediatricians and parents have expressed concern that some physicians prescribe antipsychotics to children with ADHD who have aggressive or impulsive behavior.
Children and adolescents with ADHD treated with antipsychotics often receive a diagnosis of depression, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder (TM), even though there is little evidence that these drugs are effective for TOD or MC, and none are effective in the treatment of depression.
To determine the prevalence of antipsychotic use among youth with ADHD, researchers badyzed drug and prescription drug data from 187,563 insured children and adolescents (ages 3 to 24) commercially and diagnosed between 2010 and 2015.
The team found that an antipsychotic was prescribed to a teenager with ADHD within one year of diagnosis, four times more than among youth in general. The consumption of antipsychotics was highest (4.3%) in the youngest children with ADHD, aged 3 to 5 years.
"It is rebaduring that only a relatively small percentage of these children have been prescribed antipsychotics," Olfson said. "But we should work to further reduce that number.
"For at least half of the youth in our sample who had been prescribed antipsychotics, we could not find any justification in their claim file as to why they were taking these medications."
About half of young people taking antipsychotic medications were diagnosed with bipolar disorder, psychosis, ODD or MC.
"Although antipsychotics are not approved by the FDA for these diagnoses, there is scientific evidence to support their use for treating severe symptoms of ADHD," said Ryan S. Sultan, lead author of Article and badistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University. Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
The results show that less than half of young people taking antipsychotic drugs were first treated with stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin, the recommended drug treatment for ADHD.
The researchers suggest that many of the behavioral symptoms that prompted physicians to prescribe antipsychotic medications as initial treatment may have been resolved by prescribing the drugs recommended for ADHD.
"Many doctors have bypbaded stimulants and switched to antipsychotics – contrary to expert opinion on the treatment of ADHD and unnecessarily exposing patients to the risk of serious side effects such as". a substantial weight gain, "said Sultan.
"Antipsychotic medications play a small role in treating serious symptoms of ADHD, but in the absence of serious symptoms, there are safer and more effective medications for young people with ADHD."
Source: Irving Medical Center at Columbia University
Related Articles
Source link
