HadIt.com Elder tagandbag Posted January 15, 2009 HadIt.com Elder Share Posted January 15, 2009 Study finds heart risk in anti-psychotic drugs NEW YORK -Newer anti-psychotic drugs are no safer than older ones for the risk of suddenly dying from a heart problem, says a study that finds they roughly double that hazard. The older drugs had already been linked to an increased chance of sudden cardiac death, in which the heart loses its normal rhythm and can't pump blood normally. The older and newer anti-psychotics had also been shown to boost the risk of death when used to treat agitation, aggression and delusions in elderly dementia patients. The new study was conducted among a much broader group of adults, with an average age of 46 and various psychiatric problems. Anti-psychotic drugs are approved for treating schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, which is also called manic-depression, but doctors can legally prescribe them for any other use. The new, federally funded study appears in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers examined Tennessee Medicaid records covering the 15 years ending in 2005. They focused on about 44,000 users of older anti-psychotic drugs like haloperidol and about 46,000 users of newer drugs like Zyprexa, made by Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly & Co., and Risperdal, made by New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson Inc. The newer drugs have largely replaced the older medications in patient care. The study also included 186,600 people who weren't taking anti-psychotics but resembled the users in age, heart risk status and other characteristics. Some 1,900 participants died of sudden cardiac death over the 15 years. Analysis found that taking either the older or the newer drugs roughly doubled the risk of sudden cardiac death. The overall rate in drug users was about three deaths per year for every 1,000 patients. "To me, three per thousand is frequent enough (that) I would take it into account for a family member or friend," said Wayne Ray of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., a study author. Ray stressed that patients should not simply stop taking the drugs, but should speak to their doctors. He noted that people with schizophrenia or a related psychosis have no real alternative to anti-psychotic drugs. Perhaps they should get heart examinations before going on the drugs, and take steps to reduce their risk of sudden cardiac death, he said. There are alternatives for treating bipolar disorder, he said. And for other uses, antipsychotics should be considered "a very last resort, to be used sparingly," he recommended. In a journal editorial, Drs. Sebastian Schneeweiss and Jerry Avorn of Harvard Medical School said the study "makes a clear case" for increased risk of the heart problem from all anti-psychotics. http://news.aol.com/article/study-finds-he...c/306829?cid=14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadIt.com Elder tagandbag Posted January 15, 2009 Author HadIt.com Elder Share Posted January 15, 2009 Sorry, I didnt realize T-bird already posted this, from an VA.ORG article. Aside from that, I am glad this study came to light. Reason is, a few weeks ago I posted that the VA is doing a drug study with risperadal and asked me to participate in the study three times. I declined to do so and man am I glad I did. The reason I declined is mainly because of the weight gain issue. As well as introducing another drug in my body. But now that I see it could cause heart issues. I am really freaked out about this. My medical history clearly shows heart conditions in my family, from my fathers side. I am on heart medication. Don't they read your medical files, geez. I almost feel as if they have total disregard for my health, just so they can test drugs and collect there study fees from the pharmecutical companies. Maybe they are trying kill me, so I cant collect anymore compensation. I have printed this article out and I am taking it to the study coordinator at the VAMC. T&B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purple Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 No, you're right they don't read records and they don't care. I also have an extensive cardiac history and current problems and they put me on a couple of those drugs in the past....I had to stop taking them due to an increase in chest pain and palpitations. When I told the prescribing RN....yes RN....... about it...she said she'd never heard of that before!!! They also don't read about side effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadIt.com Elder tagandbag Posted January 15, 2009 Author HadIt.com Elder Share Posted January 15, 2009 Thats really crazy Purple. I read about these type of things al the time on hadit and other places. But when something comes this close to home, it really sinks in. When I show this to the study coordinator, I am curious as to the response I will get. I might have to take this a step farther up the ladder. T&B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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