Editorial: Strong medicine for children

Monday, March 20, 2006 | 7:11 a.m.

A doctor at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., is the lead author of a study that found increasing numbers of children are being prescribed strong, anti-psychotic drugs for lesser disorders such as attention-deficit syndrome. Such drugs were originally intended to be taken by people with schizophrenia or other major mental illnesses.

Dr. William Cooper, a pediatrician, looked at the years 1995 through 2002. He found that in the latter year, about 2.5 million American children had been prescribed anti-psychotic drugs, a dramatic increase. He calculated that in 1995, out of every 1,000 children, 8.6 had been prescribed an anti-psychotic drug. By 2002 the number had soared to 40 children out of every 1,000.

Furthermore, he and his researchers found that about half of the children receiving the strong drugs were not suffering from psychotic disorders at all. They had attention deficit syndrome and other nonpsychotic conditions.

The AP reported that the increased prescriptions of anti-psychotics for children corresponds "with the introduction of costly and heavily marketed medications such as Zyprexa and Risperdal." The information on the labels of both say their safety and effectiveness for children have not been established, according to the AP.

Side effects of these drugs in adults include weight gain, elevated cholesterol and diabetes. Cooper said anecdotal evidence suggests the same may be true for children. He said studies are needed to determine the long-term effects of the drugs in children.

In our view the growing trend of prescribing these strong drugs for children before studies have been conducted is dangerous. The Food and Drug Administration should review Cooper's study and order the makers of anti-psychotic drugs to thoroughly research their long-term effects on children.