Furious Seasons

December 04, 2007

Schizophrenics At Highly Elevated Cancer Risk Due To Anti-Psychotics

That headline should shock you and so should this paper from this month's Archives of General Psychiatry. British researchers looked into cancer risks associated with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. They found that bipolars--and here one assumes that these were BPers not on anti-psychotics or the researchers would've specified as much--have a risk of cancer about the same as non-bipolars. For schizophrenics:

"Patients with schizophrenia taking antipsychotics had a 308% increased colon cancer risk."

Interestingly, they had a slightly lower risk of respiratory cancer than other populations, which is kind of interesting given how many people with schizophrenia blow through cigarettes. And, then, the study's conclusion:

"The increased risk of colon cancer is particularly marked in patients with schizophrenia who take antipsychotic medications."

I'm not making this stuff up people. Just passing along independent peer-reviewed research, the kind that makes you wonder if psychiatrists actually happen to read academic journals, given current practices in the industry. That's not to say that anti-psychotics cause colon cancer per se--that would require further study--but something rather ugly is clearly going on here.

As I noted yesterday, I have a tough time building an ethical case for the long-term use of anti-psychotics even in treating schizophrenia. That case just got even harder to make.

Why are we pressing so many Americans to take these drugs long-term for conditions that are not generally psychotic? I wonder how parents of all these bipolar children and ADHD kids, who seem to be getting anti-psychotics the way docs once handed out Ritalin, feel about this kind of finding. Not too mention everyone else.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at December 4, 2007 12:05 AM

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There is a PDF
LINK

on bowel impaction leading to death in schizophrenia patients. The patient was on a forced medication order. It was claimed the patient did not complain of pain, like who would listen to a schizophrenic's complaints of pain. And don't forget the belief the insane do not feel heat or cold

It is well known that a diet low in fiber leads to colon cancer. A fast moving intestine-colon(high in fiber) is much less likely to develope cancer.

That the drugs can mess up digestion and cause constipation is the factor that increases cancer rates I believe.

I think its great that "sane" humans also get to experience the healing effects of antipsychotics. They voluntarily take them right? So whats the problem? Posted by: mark p.s. at December 4, 2007 06:01 AM

One possible explanation is that antipsychotics diminish the body's ability to maintain constant sugar levels. This, in turn, is linked to a greater susceptibility to cancer.

Posted by: Fabian at December 4, 2007 06:25 AM

My daughter is on Clozaril, and constipation with all patients on that drug is an issue. SO much so, that it can indeed become life threatening. As far as the cancer risk, it could be due to not having enough fiber, who the hell knows. I also read an article[abstract] that SZ patients have more appendix surgeries. My daughter does not complain about having pain, and has to be reminded if it is cold outside or too hot. The dentist discovered a broken tooth that he said looked so painful, the root was exposed. She never said a word to anyone. I do not call my daughter insane, and never would. I do respect though, that she is a fragile person, and needs care for things some ppl. do not understand, like the hot and cold thing.Or feeling physical pain.

Posted by: Stephany at December 4, 2007 11:34 AM

Mark, the comment you make re: the link, where the patient was on a forced medication order--does this mean those ppl have more impacted bowels than voluntary patients? People DO take medications by choice you know.

Posted by: Stephany at December 4, 2007 11:56 AM

Here in Atlanta psychiatry murdered young Sarah Crier...impacted colon...http://www.gmhcn.org/files/Articles/AJC1_SarahCrider.html

Posted by: Sally at December 4, 2007 12:18 PM

My daughter is about to turn 20 years old, and I hope to God I don't ever write that she is dead from psych meds. I would never recover from that.

Posted by: Stephany at December 4, 2007 05:56 PM

on clozaril i couldn't feel anything. hot, cold, pain(physical/emotional), love, hate, alive. and when i stopped taking it, all that pain that i couldn't feel on the drug was waiting for me. it was awful. but i was _feeling_ awful.

Posted by: jenna at December 4, 2007 07:04 PM