That is the title of this article I am reviewing today. "In my last blog post, I talked about the shameful way that many with schizophrenia are treated (or not treated) for their other co-existing medical problems, like diabetes. There is ample evidence that this lack of proper medical treatment and the failure to exercise preventative measures for conditions like cardiovascular disease results in a shortened life span. The latest research just released from California show that women with serious mental illnesses are not routinely screened for cervical cancer compared to women without mental illness. Despite the weight of all this evidence, the common belief among the anti-psychiatry, anti-medication group is that this reduced life expectancy for those with serious mental illness is the result of the medication they are given. That was one of the comments on my previous blog and it is the opinion of journalist Robert Whitaker of Mad in America fame." Which I disagree with if I had not started medication I would still be mentally ill. If you want to go to groups and you think that will cure you go for it. I for one am thankful for the medication it allows me to work and do whatever I feel like it in society.
The article goes on to say: "'The question we should be asking is what is mortality for those who do not take anti-psychotic medication, which is the standard starting treatment for people diagnosed with schizophrenia. If anti-psychotics are responsible for the shortened life span, then not taking them when diagnosed should result in less mortality. The answer to that can be found in one commentary published this month, in the Lancet, and a study published in Schizophrenia Bulletin. Mortality is quite a bit higher in those not properly treated with anti-psychotics than in those properly treated.
In the British Journal, the Lancet, author Cherrie Ann Galletly states that 'Mortality in patients with schizophrenia seems to be highest among those who do not take antipsychotic drugs.' The shocking extent of that mortality was demonstrated in a new U.S. study that just appeared in Schizophrenia Bullentin. Michael Schoenbaum and colleagues examined the long-term patterns of treatment for those with health insurance in the U.S. aged 16-30 receiving a first observed diagnosis of psychosis in 2008-09. They limited their sample to only those with health insurance because, sadly, not having health insurance is itself a barrier in the U.S. to receiving proper medical care. Those identified for the study were followed for a year to find information on mortality, treatment and health resource utilization.'" People with mental illness have to find treatment if they have insurance. I do not how long I will live although I take precautions as to have insurance for my grand kids and daughter. Like I told the cancer doctor I am not afraid to die because I am prepared for that day. Although most people with mental illness can not afford to get medical treatment or even psychiatric treatment if they do not have insurance or someway to get medication and treatment.
The article ends: "They found 154,322 people with psychotic illnesses. However, they limited their study to only those with a psychotic diagnosis while aged 16-30, continuous insurance coverage for the 12 months prior to diagnosis and 12 months after and a second psychosis diagnosis. This group comprised 1357 people. The second group was made up of 5488 people who had insurance at the time of diagnosis, but not for a year before and after and had only the one diagnosis. Almost two-thirds of the people (61 per cent) did not fill their prescriptions for anti-psychotics in the year after diagnosis and 41 per cent did not receive any psychotherapy. Mortality for this group was anywhere between 24 times to 89 times greater than comparable for those aged 16-30 in the general U.S. population. The authors commented that 'in the general population, only individuals over 70 years of age have all-cause mortality approaching the rate we observed among young psychosis patients here.'
The study also found that there was very little medical oversight of these patients and only 'modest' psychosocial treatment. Those who died in the 12-month period received the least amount of outpatient care. Premature death for those with schizophrenia is complex and not as simple as the anti-psychiatry crowd suggests. It results from a combination of poor treatment and preventative care these people receive from the medical system, and the failure to treat their mental illness appropriately and aggressively. In the U.S., it appears to be confounded by the lack of universal health care.'" Yes I do know it is hard for people because when I was on social security and had medicaid they put me on so much medication and I had to get off it when I recieved regular insurance and now it is starting all over so much medication and it is expensive regardless if a person has insurance. I for one am watching what happens in the healthcare field with a new President.
Showing posts with label Anti psychotics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anti psychotics. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Weight loss on antipsychotics is possible: study
That is the title of this article I am reviewing today. "'By | NEW YORK
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The drugs people take to help ease serious mental illnesses often contribute to weight and blood sugar problems - but researchers say a lifestyle intervention can be helpful on both fronts. The so-called 'antipsychotic drugs' that patients take to control their symptoms tend to stimulate hunger and thirst and cause metabolic changes. But in a new test of a year-long intervention, people taking these drugs for illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder were able to lose weight and improve their blood sugar levels. 'The results are somewhat surprising because people with serious mental illnesses have many barriers to losing weight,' said lead author Carla A. Green, of the Center for Health Research at Kaiser Permanente Northwest in Portland, Oregon. 'That is really important because people with serious mental illness are already at much higher risk for obesity and obesity-related disease and they have a reduced life expectancy because of this.'
A number of medication side-effects, including weight gain, deter some people from taking their prescribed antipsychotics, Green said. 'Our study showed that if given the right tools, they can lose similar amounts of weight as people without severe mental illnesses,' she told Reuters Health by email. Clozapine (FazaClo), olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel) and risperidone (Risperdal), which treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or other mental illnesses, have all been linked to increased risk of weight gain. Green and her team studied 200 adults who’d been taking antipsychotic medications for at least a month and who had a body mass index (BMI) of at least 27. BMI is a measure of weight relative to height; the cutoff for “overweight” is 25. (You can calculate your own BMI here: 1.usa.gov/XcVMat.) '" I know I once weighed 214 lbs when I was on Moban. My new medication is Geodon and it is weight neutral.
The article goes on to say: "'They explain in the American Journal of Psychiatry that patients were randomly assigned to an 'intervention' group that participated in the new program, or a comparison group that just got their usual medical care. In the intervention group, participants attended weekly two-hour group meetings for the first six months of the study. At each session, they met with mental health counselors and nutritionists; each meeting also included 20 minutes of physical activity.
In addition, participants recorded what and how much they ate, how much they slept and how much they exercised, with a goal of at least 25 minutes of moderate activity per day. The intervention was focused on improved diet with more vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy, moderate caloric restriction, increased exercise primarily from walking, stress management, and improved sleep, Green said.
For the second half of the year, the participants met to discuss strategies for maintaining weight loss.
The comparison group did not participate in the weight loss or maintenance interventions.
People in the intervention group lost an average of about 10 pounds over the duration of the study. Those in the comparison group also lost some weight, but much smaller amounts, the authors write.
In the intervention group, 40 percent of participants lost at least five percent of their initial body weight, and 18 percent lost at least 10 percent of their initial weight. Over the course of the year, fasting blood sugar levels went down in the intervention group, but they went up in the comparison group. Use of antipsychotic drugs in the U.S. has been on the rise since the 1990’s, especially among kids (see Reuters story of August 7, 2012 here: reut.rs/1ph77xl). The intervention resulted in a relatively modest weight loss, and did not depend on the type of medication, said Dr. Daniel J. Mueller, who has done research on ways to improve psychiatric drug treatment at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. Individual motivation is key when addressing weight loss, Mueller told Reuters Health by email. Although patients with serious mental illness face more difficulties, some will be motivated enough to overcome them, he said. 'Some doctors will now routinely start treatment with relatively weight neutral antipsychotics first, like aripiprazole (Abilify) or ziprasidone (Geodon), if they work,' he said.'" I lost weight by walking and cutting in half the portions I eat. I know go from 175 lbs up to 180 lbs. I watch what I eat and also watch how much I sleep because if I do not sleep at least eight hours a night I am hungry and tired throughout the day.
The article ends: "But the drugs that work the best on average also have high weight gain risk, like clozapine and olanzapine, or at least moderate risk, like risperidone, Mueller said. 'In our qualitative interviews, we found that group support was one of the most important components of our intervention,' Green said. 'Many of our participants said they benefited from the camaraderie of others who faced the same challenges, and this may be particularly important among people with serious mental health problems because they tend to be more socially isolated.' People taking antipsychotics can talk to their doctors about weight gain and medication alternatives, weight management programs and support groups while increasing physical activity, decreasing calories and portion size, she said. 'Perhaps more importantly, lifestyle change programs of this type are not routinely offered in community mental health centers because the programs focus on physical health concerns and this makes reimbursement for those services difficult if not impossible in mental health settings,' Green said. That makes it hard to provide lifestyle change programs in the places where people with serious mental illnesses are most likely to be able to take advantage of them, she said.'" Yes they have to have support to continue losing weight. It is not easy to lose weight. It is easy to put in on though. I was skinny until I stopped smoking and then I was buying new pants every month.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The drugs people take to help ease serious mental illnesses often contribute to weight and blood sugar problems - but researchers say a lifestyle intervention can be helpful on both fronts. The so-called 'antipsychotic drugs' that patients take to control their symptoms tend to stimulate hunger and thirst and cause metabolic changes. But in a new test of a year-long intervention, people taking these drugs for illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder were able to lose weight and improve their blood sugar levels. 'The results are somewhat surprising because people with serious mental illnesses have many barriers to losing weight,' said lead author Carla A. Green, of the Center for Health Research at Kaiser Permanente Northwest in Portland, Oregon. 'That is really important because people with serious mental illness are already at much higher risk for obesity and obesity-related disease and they have a reduced life expectancy because of this.'
A number of medication side-effects, including weight gain, deter some people from taking their prescribed antipsychotics, Green said. 'Our study showed that if given the right tools, they can lose similar amounts of weight as people without severe mental illnesses,' she told Reuters Health by email. Clozapine (FazaClo), olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel) and risperidone (Risperdal), which treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or other mental illnesses, have all been linked to increased risk of weight gain. Green and her team studied 200 adults who’d been taking antipsychotic medications for at least a month and who had a body mass index (BMI) of at least 27. BMI is a measure of weight relative to height; the cutoff for “overweight” is 25. (You can calculate your own BMI here: 1.usa.gov/XcVMat.) '" I know I once weighed 214 lbs when I was on Moban. My new medication is Geodon and it is weight neutral.
The article goes on to say: "'They explain in the American Journal of Psychiatry that patients were randomly assigned to an 'intervention' group that participated in the new program, or a comparison group that just got their usual medical care. In the intervention group, participants attended weekly two-hour group meetings for the first six months of the study. At each session, they met with mental health counselors and nutritionists; each meeting also included 20 minutes of physical activity.
In addition, participants recorded what and how much they ate, how much they slept and how much they exercised, with a goal of at least 25 minutes of moderate activity per day. The intervention was focused on improved diet with more vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy, moderate caloric restriction, increased exercise primarily from walking, stress management, and improved sleep, Green said.
For the second half of the year, the participants met to discuss strategies for maintaining weight loss.
The comparison group did not participate in the weight loss or maintenance interventions.
People in the intervention group lost an average of about 10 pounds over the duration of the study. Those in the comparison group also lost some weight, but much smaller amounts, the authors write.
In the intervention group, 40 percent of participants lost at least five percent of their initial body weight, and 18 percent lost at least 10 percent of their initial weight. Over the course of the year, fasting blood sugar levels went down in the intervention group, but they went up in the comparison group. Use of antipsychotic drugs in the U.S. has been on the rise since the 1990’s, especially among kids (see Reuters story of August 7, 2012 here: reut.rs/1ph77xl). The intervention resulted in a relatively modest weight loss, and did not depend on the type of medication, said Dr. Daniel J. Mueller, who has done research on ways to improve psychiatric drug treatment at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. Individual motivation is key when addressing weight loss, Mueller told Reuters Health by email. Although patients with serious mental illness face more difficulties, some will be motivated enough to overcome them, he said. 'Some doctors will now routinely start treatment with relatively weight neutral antipsychotics first, like aripiprazole (Abilify) or ziprasidone (Geodon), if they work,' he said.'" I lost weight by walking and cutting in half the portions I eat. I know go from 175 lbs up to 180 lbs. I watch what I eat and also watch how much I sleep because if I do not sleep at least eight hours a night I am hungry and tired throughout the day.
The article ends: "But the drugs that work the best on average also have high weight gain risk, like clozapine and olanzapine, or at least moderate risk, like risperidone, Mueller said. 'In our qualitative interviews, we found that group support was one of the most important components of our intervention,' Green said. 'Many of our participants said they benefited from the camaraderie of others who faced the same challenges, and this may be particularly important among people with serious mental health problems because they tend to be more socially isolated.' People taking antipsychotics can talk to their doctors about weight gain and medication alternatives, weight management programs and support groups while increasing physical activity, decreasing calories and portion size, she said. 'Perhaps more importantly, lifestyle change programs of this type are not routinely offered in community mental health centers because the programs focus on physical health concerns and this makes reimbursement for those services difficult if not impossible in mental health settings,' Green said. That makes it hard to provide lifestyle change programs in the places where people with serious mental illnesses are most likely to be able to take advantage of them, she said.'" Yes they have to have support to continue losing weight. It is not easy to lose weight. It is easy to put in on though. I was skinny until I stopped smoking and then I was buying new pants every month.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Unusual combo reduces health risk from atypical antipsychotic
That is the title of this article I am reviewing today. "Atypical antipsychotics, though effective for treating disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression, gives patients a heightened risk of developing new-onset diabetes. A new data mining study, however, has found a way to relieve this side effect. The study, published in Scientific Reports, shows that taking vitamin D ameliorates the risk of developing new-onset diabetes from atypical antipsychotics like quetiapine. The consequences of developing diabetes from taking antipsychotics are dire, as they occasionally cause life-threatening conditions and sometimes even death."Diabetes is no laughing matter. I am diabetic only my is diet controlled and I walk for exercise. Although I have not taken any medicine for it in five years it can always come back if I am not vigilant in what I eat.
The article goes on to say: "Members of Shuji Kaneko's lab at Kyoto University looked for potential antidotes on the US FDA's Adverse Event Reporting (FAERS) system, which is the largest database of self-reported adverse side effects. 'We found that patients who had coincidentally been prescribed vitamin D with quetiapine were less likely to have hyperglycaemia,' says Kaneko. 'It's unusual for vitamin D to be prescribed with quetiapine because it is typically prescribed to treat osteoporosis; in fact, there were only 1232 cases in the world where vitamin D was prescribed with quetiapine. Data mining proved helpful in locating these cases.' The team confirmed this finding with further tests on mice; the group of mice that was fed vitamin D along with quetiapine had significantly lower levels of blood sugar than those that took only quetiapine.'" What also works to bring down blood sugar is cinnamon two five hundred pills in the morning with breakfast. I have not tried it for a full three months yet because I was in the hospital and could not take it for awhile. Yet when I did an A1C test my blood sugar was a 5.4 which is good because before It was 5.6 to close for me.
The article ends with: "'Interestingly, vitamin D on its own doesn't lower diabetes risk, but it certainly defends against the insulin-lowering effects of quetiapine,' elaborates lead author Takuya Nagashima. 'We clarified the molecular mechanisms of how quetiapine causes hyperglycaemia using datasets in a genomics data repository. Through this we found that quetiapine reduces the amount of a key enzyme called PI3K that gets produced. Vitamin D stops quetiapine from lowering PI3K production.'
Databases like FAERS aren't just for making drug regulations; they have so much potential for side-effect relief using pre-existing drugs,' says Kaneko. 'There's a lot we can hope for from reverse translational research like this'" Yes what ever works to help people because no one wants diabetes. There are to many other things to worry about than diabetes. To check your blood sugar everyday that was what was a total drag for me so I worked to not have to check and take medicine everyday beside what I always have to take which mostly a lot of supplements to make my life easier.
The article goes on to say: "Members of Shuji Kaneko's lab at Kyoto University looked for potential antidotes on the US FDA's Adverse Event Reporting (FAERS) system, which is the largest database of self-reported adverse side effects. 'We found that patients who had coincidentally been prescribed vitamin D with quetiapine were less likely to have hyperglycaemia,' says Kaneko. 'It's unusual for vitamin D to be prescribed with quetiapine because it is typically prescribed to treat osteoporosis; in fact, there were only 1232 cases in the world where vitamin D was prescribed with quetiapine. Data mining proved helpful in locating these cases.' The team confirmed this finding with further tests on mice; the group of mice that was fed vitamin D along with quetiapine had significantly lower levels of blood sugar than those that took only quetiapine.'" What also works to bring down blood sugar is cinnamon two five hundred pills in the morning with breakfast. I have not tried it for a full three months yet because I was in the hospital and could not take it for awhile. Yet when I did an A1C test my blood sugar was a 5.4 which is good because before It was 5.6 to close for me.
The article ends with: "'Interestingly, vitamin D on its own doesn't lower diabetes risk, but it certainly defends against the insulin-lowering effects of quetiapine,' elaborates lead author Takuya Nagashima. 'We clarified the molecular mechanisms of how quetiapine causes hyperglycaemia using datasets in a genomics data repository. Through this we found that quetiapine reduces the amount of a key enzyme called PI3K that gets produced. Vitamin D stops quetiapine from lowering PI3K production.'
Databases like FAERS aren't just for making drug regulations; they have so much potential for side-effect relief using pre-existing drugs,' says Kaneko. 'There's a lot we can hope for from reverse translational research like this'" Yes what ever works to help people because no one wants diabetes. There are to many other things to worry about than diabetes. To check your blood sugar everyday that was what was a total drag for me so I worked to not have to check and take medicine everyday beside what I always have to take which mostly a lot of supplements to make my life easier.
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