http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (Medical Xpress)—A new study from the University of Maryland (UM) found that use of antipsychotic drugs from 1997 to 2006 increased 7- to 12-fold in a Medicaid population of about 500,000 children ages two to 17. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-rapid-antipsychotic-treatment-medicaid-insured-children.html Psychology & Psychiatry Sat, 23 Mar 2013 03:10:02 EST news283225526 (HealthDay)—For people who don't fully respond to antidepressants, adding commonly prescribed antipsychotic drugs appears to be only slightly effective and is linked to unwelcome side effects, a new study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-antipsychotic-meds-depressio.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:54:11 EST news282333243 Antipsychotic administration in the elderly is associated with an increased risk for cerebrovascular accident, more commonly known as stroke; a new study published in Biological Psychiatry provides additional insight into this important relationship. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-elderly-antipsychotics-newly-linked-specific.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:23:12 EST news282223386 Drug companies spent nearly $84 million marketing pharmaceuticals in the District of Columbia in 2011, including an outlay of nearly $19 million for gifts given to physicians, hospitals and other health care providers, according to a report by researchers at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS). The report notes that 12 physicians in the District received gifts (including consulting payments) that totaled more than $100,000 apiece that one year alone. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-pharmaceutical-companies-million-effort-district.html Medications Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:01 EST news281290180 (HealthDay)—Opioid analgesics are involved in the majority of pharmaceutical-related overdose deaths, frequently involving drugs prescribed for mental health conditions, according to a research letter published in the Feb. 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-opioids-involved-medical-overdose-deaths.html Medications Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:10:01 EST news280674055 (HealthDay)—There is considerable local and regional variation within the United States in the use of antidepressants, antipsychotics, and stimulants, according to a study published online Jan. 7 in Health & Place. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-geographic-variation-mental-health-medication.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:20:01 EST news278341410 A new review in The Cochrane Library finds that education and social support for staff and caregivers can reduce the use of antipsychotics in nursing home patients with dementia. Improved staff training and education, communication between personal and professional caregivers and support for everyone involved in the patient's care are effective non-pharmacological methods to try before using antipsychotic medications. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-antipsychotic-drugs-nursing-home-patients.html Health Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:00:06 EST news274697316 In older adults, antipsychotic drugs are commonly prescribed off-label for a number of disorders outside of their Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved indications – schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The largest number of antipsychotic prescriptions in older adults is for behavioral disturbances associated with dementia, some of which carry FDA warnings on prescription information for these drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-common-antipsychotic-drugs-lack-safety.html Medications Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:35:42 EST news273263701 The Obama administration is strengthening the prescription drug coverage that will be available to the millions of people who will start getting insurance through the nation's health care overhaul. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-hhs-overhaul-required-benefits.html Health Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:56:37 EST news272649386 (Medical Xpress)—The use of antidepressants doubled in Australia between 2000 and 2011 and they now account for two out of every three psychotropic medications prescribed, a new study by the University of Sydney reveals. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-australians-antidepressants.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 16 Nov 2012 07:34:42 EST news272273670 Babies born to mothers with bipolar disorder are at increased risk of preterm birth (before 37 weeks) a study published today on BMJ website suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-pregnancy-birth-complications-mothers-bipolar.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 08 Nov 2012 18:30:03 EST news271613969 (HealthDay)—There has been a substantial increase in antipsychotic use among Medicaid-enrolled children in recent years, with the increase partially driven by youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and those with multiple diagnoses, according to a study published online Sept. 4 in Health Services Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-antipsychotic-medicaid-enrolled-youth.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 14 Sep 2012 15:00:02 EST news266852855 (Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine may have discovered why certain drugs to treat schizophrenia are ineffective in some patients. Published online in Nature Neuroscience, the research will pave the way for a new class of drugs to help treat this devastating mental illness, which impacts one percent of the world's population, 30 percent of whom do not respond to currently available treatments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-drug-schizophrenia.html Neuroscience Mon, 13 Aug 2012 11:25:28 EST news264075897 Scientists have discovered two genetic variants associated with the substantial, rapid weight gain occurring in nearly half the patients treated with antipsychotic medications, according to two studies involving the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-genetic-link-rapid-weight-gain.html Genetics Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:00:08 EST news261748800 A study that examined maternal use of antipsychotic drugs during pregnancy suggests that these medications may be linked to an increased risk of gestational diabetes, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-antipsychotic-drugs-pregnancy-linked-gestational.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:00:12 EST news260457136 (HealthDay) -- Even though autism symptoms typically emerge before age 3, most children with autism are diagnosed when they're 5 or older, a new snapshot of autism in America shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-autism-age-older.html Autism spectrum disorders Thu, 24 May 2012 18:20:01 EST news257100705 (Medical Xpress) -- Antidepressive drugs reduce the mortality rate of schizophrenic patients, while treatment with bensodiazepines greatly increases it, especially as regards suicide. Giving several antipsychotics simultaneously, however, seems to have no effect at all. This according to a new study examining different drug combinations administered to patients with schizophrenia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-suicides-antidepressive-treatment-schizophrenia.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 08 May 2012 06:20:57 EST news255676847 (HealthDay) -- Medications taken by millions of Americans for mood disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic conditions can have an unhealthy side effect: weight gain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-prescription-meds-unwanted-pounds.html Medications Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:01:19 EST news249908463 Medical evidence suggests that psychiatric drugs known as atypical antipsychotics are effective in reducing symptoms for some off-label conditions, but not others, according to a new RAND Corporation study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-atypical-antipsychotics-aid-symptons-off-label.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:00:07 EST news236352442 Day after day, Hazel Eng sat on her couch, a blank stare on her face. The powerful antipsychotics she was taking often cloaked her in sedation. And when they didn't, the 89-year-old lashed out at her nursing home's aides with such anger and frequency her daughter wondered if her mother would be better off dead. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-underway-drugs-dementia-patients.html Medications Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:32:02 EST news235233102 Ordinary painkillers such as paracetamol may work better than the risky antipyschotic drugs often prescribed to calm agitation in people with dementia, according to a study released Monday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-dementia-common-painkillers.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:17:21 EST news230221027 Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that currently affects about one in every 200 people. Most patients find some relief from their symptoms by treatment with antipsychotics, however they may still suffer from cognitive and negative symptoms. These include poor concentration and memory, apathy, or a reduced ability to cope in social situations. Preliminary research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine shows that patients who received L-lysine alongside their normal medication found some reduction in the severity of their symptoms. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-l-lysine-schizophrenia-cope.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 18 Apr 2011 04:26:20 EST news222318648