Mood Swings, Mood Stabilizers and Antipsychotics

In a recent lecture by a local psychiatrist he confirmed what I had long suspected - that antipsychotics were being inappropriately prescribed for mood disorders, specifically Bipolar Disorder. I have been very concerned about this for some time. Antipsychotics are a very serious class of drugs with serious, often permanent side effects when they occur. To take them for "mood swings" seems somewhat reckless. I've also noticed that clients are rarely made aware of these risks when prescribed these medications. Several forms of this class of drug are now having warning labels put on them, Zyprexa being the most well known at the moment. You can read more about the warnings involving Zyprexa here and here. The FDA has taken an additional step and ordered a diabetes warning to be placed on all antipsychotics. You can read more about that here. Some of the dangers of antipsychotics are discussed below.

EPS and TD

Antipsychotics were always known to have the potential to cause tardive dyskinesia (TD) and extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS). Drug companies claim the new generation of antipsychotics cannot cause these side effects, but I have had clients who have experienced these side effects on the newer generation medications. These side effects include various involuntary movements like tics, tremors, rigidity, changes in heart rate, changes in respiration, and general restlessness. They can become permanent if not addressed.

Metabolic Syndrome

There is a growing concern about the tendency for patients on antipsychotics to develop metabolic syndrome due to the side effects of many of these drugs which increase factors known to exacerbate metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome leads to many other forms of serious health problems including diabetes and heart disease. The side effects caused by antipsychotics which lead to metabolic syndrome include:

1) Obesity/Weight gain
2) Diabetes - insulin resistance or glucose intolerance
3) High cholesterol (high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol)
4) Elevated blood pressure

23 people have been reported to have died from Zyprexa induced diabetes.


Ketoacidosis

This occurs when the body does not have enough glucose to meet metabolic demands and can be fatal if left untreated.

Pancreatitis

Inflammation of the pancreas which can be fatal if left untreated. One patient has died from Zyprexa induced pancreatitis.

Stroke

A clinical trial found that elderly patients taking antipsychotics for dementia were twice as likely to die or suffer stroke related injuries as compared to the placebo groups. This does not seem to be the case in younger populations. You can read more about this warning here.


If you or someone you know is being prescribed a "mood stabilizer" it's important to look it up and see if it falls into this category. If you need help finding information about medications, please feel free to contact me through this blog.