Saturday, December 13, 2008

Not All Antipsychotics Created Equal: Analysis Reveals Important Differences

An analysis of studies on antipsychotics reveals multiple differences among the newer, second-generation antipsychotics as well as the older medications, and suggests the current classification system blurs important differences, rendering it unhelpful. The analysis, partially funded by NIMH, was published online December 5, 2008, in The Lancet.

An analysis of studies on antipsychotics reveals multiple differences among the newer, second-generation antipsychotics as well as the older medications, and suggests the current classification system blurs important differences, rendering it unhelpful. The analysis, partially funded by NIMH, was published online December 5, 2008, in The Lancet.

Stefan Leucht, M.D., of Technische Universität München in Munich, Germany, and colleagues looked at 150 studies from all parts of the world with a total of 21,533 participants. By examining these double-blind studies, they were able to compare nine second-generation—also called atypical—antipsychotics with first-generation antipsychotics. They examined symptom reduction; quality of life; side effects such as movement disorders, weight gain and sedation ( sleepiness ); and other factors.

READ MORE @ MEDIA NEWSWIRE