Phillip, I think you put way too much faith in your doctor.

I hate to say it but The 1/12/2004 Label has pretty extensive warnings that were easy to find and understand in comparison to some newer labels. Weight gain was mentioned 10 times.

NMS, Tardive D..., Hyperglycemia and Diabetes Mellitus, Cataracts, Seizures, Hypothyroidism, Cholesterol and Triglyceride Elevations, Hyperprolactinemia, Orthostatic Hypotension, Esophageal dysmotility and aspiration and Impairment of Fertility, just to name a few (and I haven't even read the "adverse reactions" section yet).

“Weight Gain: In schizophrenia trials the proportions of patients meeting a weight gain criterion of >7% of body weight were compared in a pool of four 3- to 6-week placebo-controlled clinical trials, revealing a statistically significantly greater incidence of weight gain for SEROQUEL (23%) compared to placebo (6%). In mania monotherapy trials the proportions of patients meeting the same weight gain criterion were 21% compared to 7% for placebo and in mania adjunct trials the proportion of patients meeting the same weight criterion were 13% compared to 4% for placebo”.

The warnings are wrapped up in B***S*** like, “Assessment of the relationship between atypical antipsychotic use and glucose abnormalities is complicated by the possibility of an increased background risk of diabetes mellitus in patients with schizophrenia and the increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus in the general population”, etc.

As someone who doesn’t have a medical education (or education beyond high school), I can still easily figure out that; Three, 3 week trials for Bipolar and three 6 week trials for schizophrenia are extremely short trials and with all these warnings, these drugs are going to ruin peoples health and lives. If I can see through the B***S***, having 13 years of brain damage, an MD can see through it too.

I think it’s time the “learned intermediaries” are held accountable for ignoring these labels that patients don’t read because they trust their doctors to “first do no harm”.

AZ couldn't sell their poisons without doctor's. And I can't get my head around the idea that doctor's are ignorant, or don't have enough time to do their jobs, or the healthcare insurance system is at fault.

TD and stiff muscles aren't the same thing as NMS, are they? I thought NMS was life-threatening, whereas the other two are "merely" horrendous. Please clarify if you can.

TD and stiff muscles are not the same thing as Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome. NMS is an acute life threatening disorder characterized by high fever, confusion, elevated CPK(muscle enzymes), severe muscle rigidity and elevated white blood cell count. It is rare and impossible to predict. Tx involves supportive care, IV fluids and watching for acute renal failure. Tardive Dyskinesia is an involuntary movement disorder caused by the use of anti-psychotics and other dopamine antagonists. It often involves movements of the mouth and face.

I think it is amazing how all these psych drugs seem to be prescribed with no concern as to their physical side effects. It's almost as if one's physical health is somehow unimportant, as long as "mental health" issues are "treated". Maybe psychiatrists and "regular" MDs ought to work together to develop treatment plans that are good for both body and mind instead of each practitioner focusing on a separate area and seemingly not talking to one another.