ISTANBUL, TURKEY – The side effects of second-generation antipsychotics in young people vary not just by agent, but also by psychiatric diagnosis.
In a soon-to-be-published study involving 90 young patients on antipsychotic therapy, the 31 who were being treated for bipolar disorder experienced significantly greater weight gain over the course of 3 months than did the 29 patients with other psychotic disorders, who in turn gained significantly more weight than those with nonpsychotic disorders, Dr. Mara Parellada said at the annual congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology.
In a series of studies conducted by Dr. Parellada and her colleagues at Gregorio Maranon University Hospital, Madrid, patients with a first psychotic episode were randomized to one of several second-general antipsychotics. The findings showed that the side effect profiles of these antipsychotics in youths differ substantially by diagnosis.