The link between atypical antipsychotics and weight gain in adults has been known for some time. So this finding can't possibly come as any surprise. We know that kids react more strongly to some things than adults do, and this is a relatively young class of meds.

Bearing that in mind, I hope this finding doesn't cause any changes in prescribing practices; I hope that the doctors were keeping in mind the lack of existing data on these meds and were using extreme caution to begin with. I mean, my God, age 4?? I can only hope that prescribing an antipsychotic for a 4-year-old is an act of last resort.

(On a side note, the Zyprexa label says overdose can't hurt you too bad, much like with the SSRIs, so I have no explanation as to why I had to be placed on mechanical ventilation for a day after my overdose. But let's stay tuned for more findings!)

To clarify, I am super NOT anti psych med. I have seen firsthand how they can give people their lives back. They can be so helpful that if a person really needs the help, they can be worth the side effects, so why not go ahead and be honest about them, then? When people are not given all the information, they'll be more prone to do stuff like go off the meds on their own, and then they're out there flipping out with no medical help.

I do not believe in a drug conspiracy. I do believe that many (not all) psychiatrists have gigantic inflated egos that somehow work like funhouse mirrors to magically transform everybody from a human being into a constellation of symptoms.

Thanks for your website; it's fun for me when I don't feel like studying.

By the way, I loved my Zyprexa weight gain. Anything that can put 15 pounds on my determinedly scrawny little body is some serious shit.

Thank you Dr. Biederman.

...so very sad.

I agree this is a big problem. I'm glad you post these findings - they are important for people to know.