Children, teens, and the safety of psychotropic medicines

Medicines prescribed for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders — known as psychotropic drugs — have largely been studied in adults. This concerns many parents whose children take these drugs regularly. Studies have most often looked at the effectiveness of these medicines in teens and children. Now a recent systematic review of multiple studies done in children and adolescents offers new guidance on safety for commonly used medicines. What did the study look at? The aim of this study was to comprehensively synthesize current evidence on the safety of four major classes of psychotropic drugs given to children and adolescents. This helps clinicians make decisions when prescribing, and assists in developing well-grounded guidelines. It also helps identify areas needing further research. What are the take-home messages for parents? The researchers focused on adverse events, such as side effects or other problems, linked to 80 medicines in four categories: antidepressants, antipsychotics, anti-ADHD medications, and mood stabilizers. Altogether, the studies considered data from 337,686 children and teens. Most study participants were taking either anti-ADHD medicines or antidepressants (roughly 149,000 and 121,000, respectively). Smaller numbers took antipsychotics or mood stabilizers (roughly 67,000 and 1,600). The study looked at safety profiles and common side effects, which were available in the scientific literature ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Adolescent health Anxiety and Depression Behavioral Health Children's Health Mental Health Parenting Source Type: blogs