Posted by ed_uk2010 on March 27, 2011, at 16:50:23
In reply to Abilify, posted by maya4 on March 27, 2011, at 15:38:38
> Hi,
>
> I was told by a former pdoc that abilify can have severe side effects such as cardiac arrhythmias.
> Does anyone know anything about this?
> I suspect he may have confused abilify with geodon but am not certain.
>
> Thanks,
> Maya.Abilify is not normally associated with cardic arrhythmias, but most (all?) antipsychotics seems to present a risk to the cardiovascular system.
In elderly patients with dementia, the risk of death is increased by antipsychotic treatment. The cause of death is normally recorded as sudden cardiac death or pneumonia, sometimes heart failure or stroke. The risk of venous thrombo-embolism (DVT, pulmonary embolism) also seems to be increased. To what extent this risk applies to younger patients with psychiatric disorders is not known. Most antipsychotics can cause weight gain and metabolic abnormalities of the type which may lead to ischemic heart disease in the long term.
So no, Abilify does not normally affect cardiac conduction or induce arrhythmias, but it is not free of cardiovascular risk.
Antipsychotics are the sort of meds which should only be taken to treat serious conditions where they are clearly necessary... and they should only be continued if the response is good and side effects acceptable. Some patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder respond well to antipsychotics but others obtain no benefit. It's very individual.
poster:ed_uk2010
thread:981285
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110321/msgs/981289.html