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MONDAY, Sept. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Newer antipsychotic medications are no better at relieving symptoms of schizophrenia in children and adolescents than older antipsychotic medications are, a new study finds.
The assumption has been that the newer drugs are safer and more effective; however, earlier trials found they are no more effective than the first-generation drugs, and they have different side effects than the older drugs, said Dr. Thomas R. Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, which funded the study.
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"This new trial looks at children where these new antipsychotics have been more widely used in the last five to eight years. The question was: Are these new drugs a better choice for children?" Insel said.
In the trial, researchers did not find any significant difference between older and newer antipsychotics, except for the side effects.
"All three of the antipsychotics we tested seemed to significantly reduce symptoms of schizophrenia in children and adolescents," said study author Dr. Linmarie Sikich, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "But they have very different side effects. And none of them look any better than the others in terms of how much they reduce symptoms or how quickly they reduce symptoms."
Current guidelines for treating early-onset schizophrenia recommend using the newer drugs first, Sikich said.
"We think this study says you should seriously consider using the older drug first," she said. "Physicians really need to make an individual decision based on what side effects are likely to be most concerning -- what is problematic for their particular patient. Many people are going to have to try a few drugs to find which is best for them."
In addition, Sikich noted there was no difference between the older and newer drugs in how long people continue to take them.
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