Wednesday, September 01, 2004

Olanzapine Superior to Fluoxetine for Borderline Personality Disorder
Reuters Health story at Medscape - "Olanzapine and fluoxetine appear to be safe and effective agents for treating women with borderline personality disorder, study findings suggest. Olanzapine as monotherapy or combined with fluoxetine seems to be better for treating the chronic dysphoria and impulsive aggression associated with this disorder. There are no recent studies comparing the efficacy of one class of psychotropic medication to another for borderline patients, Dr. Mary C. Zanarini, at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, and her team note in their paper in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry for July. Their 8-week study compared olanzapine, an atypical antipsychotic, and fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor." "med"  
  

Ziprasidone Associated With Increased Risk of Hyperglycemia, Diabetes
Medscape Medical News Alert - "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Pfizer have notified healthcare professionals by letter of revisions to the warnings section of drug labeling for ziprasidone (Geodon), according to an alert sent today from MedWatch, the FDA's safety information and adverse event reporting system. The warning refers to the increased risk of hyperglycemia and diabetes in patients treated with ziprasidone and other atypical antipsychotics. The FDA has received reports of hyperglycemia, in some cases extreme and associated with ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar coma, or death in patients treated with these medications. Some cases of hyperglycemia have resolved upon discontinuation of the atypical antipsychotic while others have required continued antidiabetic treatment." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].