Amidst concerns that antipsychotic drugs such as Risperdal and Abilify are being over-prescribed to children, the federal government has launched an investigation to determine whether these drugs are overused for the treatment of behavioral problems.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) initiated the review to learn more about the prescription of antipsychotic drugs to Medicaid recipients under the age of 17.
Many doctors and parents have alleged that antipsychotics are overused to treat behavioral problems, especially since use of these medications may expose youths to dangerous side effects. Instead, critics say, parents and caregivers should focus on finding the root cause of troublesome behavior and work with a child to help them cope.
While many of the drugs included in the investigation have been approved to treat disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in children, it is also not uncommon for medications not approved by the FDA for these applications to be prescribed “off-label” to young patients.
The Archives of General Psychiatry, a prominent medical journal, published the results of a study conducted in 2012 where researchers found that children are more likely to be prescribed antipsychotics than adults are and that use of these medications by children increased at a rapid rate between 2003 and 2009. According to researchers, up to one-third of minors in psychiatric treatment are prescribed antipsychotic medications for behavioral problems.
Antipsychotic medications have been associated with a number of side effects which are of particular danger to children, such as rapid and severe weight gain, urinary problems, the development of diabetes, and even death.
One particular antipsychotic, Risperdal, has also been linked to a higher incidence of gynecomastia, the growth of male breast tissue, in young males. At this time, the maker of Risperdal, Johnson & Johnson, is the defendant in a number of personal injury lawsuits where plaintiffs allege that they were not give adequate warning about this troubling side effect.
The personal injury lawyers at Flood Law Group, L.L.P. are currently investigating claims across the United States on behalf of individuals who have suffered as a result of the side effects of Risperdal and other antipsychotic medications. For more information on dangerous drug lawsuits, contact the firm to schedule a legal consultation.
