I've been a regular reader of Schizophrenia-A Carer's Journal for a long time now. The blog is authored by a father of a son, diagnosed with Schizophrenia. He keeps the journal about his son, and I often relate to much of his candid and poignant entries.
His son is currently residing in a locked psychiatric ward in the UK. He is allowed to visit family out of the hospital occasionally.Usually the outside passes are granted with much pressure from the family and usually not without some sort of mix up, due to complacent behavior from hospital staff. When the scheduled day outing arrives, I often sigh reading these stories, because just to see our adult children in these places is hard enough, and when they put the family through a trial by fire to visit, well it just creates such angst, and it is very tiring and wearing on a person's own well-being in a stressful situation.
Mike, the author and father wrote a piece on November 12, 2009 that I couldn't have written better myself.
He refers to this article, at BBC news,"Dementia drug use 'killing many'". The government in England has taken on the task to reduce the use of anti-psychotics, in the case of people diagnosed with dementia.
Mike wrote this on a BBC news blog, which he placed on his own blog:
"If it is unacceptable to give these dangerous, mind altering drugs with dangerous and potentially fatal side effects to elderly people it is also unacceptable to give them to young people diagnosed with 'schizophrenia'.
The withdrawal symptoms experienced when people stop taking anti-psychotics suddenly is like an extreme psychosis and has resulted in many tragedies.
Most of the positive research on the use of anti-psychotics is funded by the drug companies that are making a huge amount of money from selling them to the NHS. There is woefully little funding available to assess and trial non-medical approaches.
It is time that the use of this expensive and potentially dangerous medication of dubious benefit is reviewed for ALL patients." --Schizophrenia, a Carer's Journal
He writes on his blog, that his son has been prescribed about 10 anti psychotics over the last decade, and has had a few medical health scares as a result, and says his son though medicated with these drugs is still psychotic.
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Antipsychotics prescribed for my daughter in the last decade
Melleril
Risperdal
Zyprexa
Haldol
Abilify
Seroquel
Clozaril
At age 21 years old, my daughter deserves a review of safety of these drugs for long-term use, Mike's son deserves it, and so do the children and teens, and adults--who are being given these drugs.
Some patients are prescribed them as add-on depression treatment now and behavior issue treatments. The drugs are being used in such broad uses that it begs discussion of long-term safety and efficacy.
I would like the USA government to do a review of anti-psychotic safety in children (and adults), as I wrote back in March 2007 and again in August 2008.
Here's my article from August 2008 with links to the the 2007 article, which was highlighted at Furious Seasons mental health news blog, and the Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry: A Closer Look blog.
March 2007
"'We have no data on these agents of what's a safe and effective dose in children,' he [FDA official] told The Times in an interview."
NOW I ask the FDA to question why adult psychiatric medications are used in children; and why this statement regarding OTC cold medications does not apply to psychiatric medications that carry black box warnings:
'We have no data on these agents of what's a safe and effective dose in children', said Ganley when talking about OTC cold remedies.
The FDA has some serious ethical issues in my opinion, the FDA is responsible, and to be held accountable; for any harm done to a child under age 18 taking psychiatric medications.
The FDA is at the top of the pyramid, in my opinion, that needs to be scrutinized; then pharmaceutical companies;then the PCP's that prescribe;then the psychiatrist's; and nurse practitioners, and so on."--soulful sepulcher blog
August 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
FDA: safety and efficacy of childrens cold medicine: why not Risperdal and Abilify?
I wrote about this before and it's back in the news again.
When the FDA pulled OTC cold medicines from the shelves,the concern was parents giving too much of the cold medicine. Now the revision is in discussion that could remove cold medicines for kids from the market.
The FDA questions regarding safety and efficacy, whether or not the cold medicines worked at all, and a group of pediatricians petitioned the FDA noting a lack of evidence "that they work and mounting evidence they can cause hallucinations, seizures, trouble breathing, heart problems and other complications including, occasionally, deaths."
AGAIN I ask the question:(and have been asking since March 2007)
Why are we not seeing this type of vigorous investigation into the safety and efficacy of antipsychotics that are being prescribed for children often under age 10?
There is no long term evidence that antipsychotics that carry a black box warning for diabetes are safe for children. Why OTC cold medicines gain so much attention from the FDA and pediatricians and antipsychotics don't --blows my mind.
Risperdal and Abilify have been approved by the FDA for use in children at age 10, and the danger in those drugs are far worse than the cold medicines. This is an outrageous and dangerous practice in my opinion, that the FDA seems to not understand how powerful antipsychotics are--compare Seroquel (Rebecca Riley died at age 4 with Seroquel in her system) to Dimetapp and wonder what is so wrong with this world.
I never thought I would see the day cough medicines were under review for safety and efficacy use in kids and antipsychotics are approved, without evidence of safety or long term results.
I think the FDA needs to review how they intend on keeping children safe from pharmaceutical injury.--soulful sepulcher blog
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November 2009
If enough of us inquire and demand action to be taken around the world, maybe our voices can make a difference for everyone regarding the safety and long-term use of anti-psychotic use in all patients of all ages.
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