Adjunctive Antipsychotics and Antidepressants use may prompt movement disorders in kids: JAMA

A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Association shows that in children and adolescents with depression adjunctive antipsychotics alongside antidepressants were related with movement abnormalities and seizures when compared to antidepressant monotherapy.

There is little research on neurological side effects associated with the use of antipsychotics in conjunction with antidepressants, particularly in children and adolescents. As a result, Soo Min Jeon and colleagues conducted this study to examine the relationship between neurological adverse events (movement disorders such as parkinsonism, extrapyramidal symptoms such as dystonia, chorea, and tics, and seizures) and the adjuvant usage antipsychotics in adolescents and children with depression.

Between 2008 and 2018, a retrospective cohort research was conducted utilizing the Health Insurance Review and Assessment claims database in Korea. Children and adolescents aged 2 to 18 years with depression who began antidepressant medication between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2018 were included in the research. Between December 9, 2020, and December 10, 2021, data were evaluated. This study took into account time-varying antidepressant and antipsychotic exposure, as well as antidepressant and antipsychotic concurrent usage. Concomitant usage was further classified based on antipsychotic treatment status.