Treatment with multiple antipsychotic agents and concomitant use with other psychotropic agents increase risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular events in children.
Treatment with atypical antipsychotic agents in children and adolescents has increased during the past decade. In clinical trials and case reports, adverse cardiovascular effects (e.g., arrhythmias, orthostatic hypotension, tachycardia) and metabolic effects (e.g., dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes) have been reported. Researchers used South Carolina Medicaid claims data to examine cardiovascular, metabolic, and cerebrovascular adverse events associated with antipsychotic use in children. The investigators retrospectively compared 4140 children (age, <18 years) who were prescribed conventional or atypical antipsychotics from 1998 through 2003 and 4500 children who did not receive psychotropic medication.
Overall, compared with controls, child…