Abilify for adolescent schizophrenia? Earlier this month, the FDA approved the use of Abilify for schizophrenia patients as young as 13 years. Abilify? Does that ring a bell? In the e-Alert "Right for You?" (10/30/07) I told you about this antipsychotic drug that may prompt some of the most extreme adverse side effects you'll ever see associated with any type of drug. They include: - High fever, stiff muscles, and confusion - these may be signs of a life-threatening reaction
- Muscle movements that cannot be stopped - they may become permanent
- High blood sugar, which in extreme cases can lead to coma or death
- Impaired judgment
- Impaired motor skills
The worst aspect of this new approval is the fact that so many doctors are not aware that a vitamin supplement can sometimes be quite effective in treating schizophrenia. As I noted in the e-Alert "Getting Played" (1/2/07), patients with schizophrenia are often deficient in vitamin B-3 (also known as niacin), and many of them respond quite favorably to high doses of B-3 supplements. This was proven in a 1952 study (mostly ignored by the medical mainstream) conducted by Abram Hoffer, M.D., who wrote a book on the subject more than 40 years later: "Vitamin B-3 and Schizophrenia: Discovery, Recovery, Controversy." Dr. Hoffer's book is available on amazon.com. You can find a more detailed account of how vitamin B-3 can produce remarkable results in patients with schizophrenia in the e-Alert "Green Eggs and Strange Ham" (1/10/07), at this link: http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealerts/ea200701/ea20070110b.html Source:
"Abilify Approved for Adolescents With Schizophrenia" Scott Roberts, HealthDay News, 11/6/07, nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news | 
