North Carolina to monitor kids on Medicaid taking antipsychotics

via Hickory Daily Record

"Child Medicaid recipients who are prescribed powerful antipsychotics now have the state looking over the shoulders of their doctors.

Last year, the state rolled out a web-based program called A+Kids (Antipsychotics — Keep It Documented for Safety) that will help it document the antipsychotics being prescribed to children under 18 years old.

According to information from the state, more than 20,000 children on Medicaid were prescribed antipsychotics in 2010.

Heavily medicated

Children being medicated with antipsychotic and other mood-altering medications have been in the news in recent months. Many of those reports have highlighted the number of those prescribed the medications who are in foster care as opposed to those also on Medicaid not in the foster system.

That’s because of a report from the US Government Accountability Office released at the end of last year that found foster children, some younger than a year old, in five states studied “were prescribed psychotropic drugs at higher rates than nonfoster children in Medicaid during 2008.” The five states were Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon and Texas.

The report goes on to say sometimes the doses exceeded FDA maximum levels.

Dr. Randall Best, chief medical officer for North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Medical Assistance, said nationwide, 4 percent of child Medicaid patients are prescribed these medications compared to 1 percent of children with private health insurance. The number of foster children prescribed the medications is even higher, he said.

Why are so many kids being prescribed antipsychotics is a question that’s arisen, Best said. The medications being prescribed to children are not unique to North Carolina, he said. There’s been a big increase in antipsychotics being prescribed to children in recent years.

Generally, studies for medications are done on adults and are approved through those studies. Off-label medications also are commonly prescribed to adults.

These medications are very powerful drugs and have serious indications. Children need to be monitored because the medications can cause significant problems, including endocrine issues such as rapid weight gain and diabetes. The medications also can cause things such as tremors and other neurological problems, Best said."

Read the article HERE.