Among all patients taking the new generation of antipsychotic medication, children are most likely to suffer severe weight gain and metabolic disturbances.
But the use of these drugs to treat children has seen steep growth. Between 1990 and 2000, prescriptions for children and adolescents grew 160 percent, according to a 2005 study; other studies show they continued to grow briskly through the early 2000s.
Virtually all of that prescribing has been off-label. Among the atypical antipsychotics, only risperidone (marketed as Risperdal) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use by children with schizophrenia. In June, the FDA will consider a petition by AstraZeneca for permission to promote the use of Seroquel by adolescents (ages 13 to 17) with schizophrenia and by younger kids (11 to 17) with bipolar disorder.
As the drugs have become more widely prescribed, however, many physicians have become increasingly alarmed.
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