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Latuda Approved for Adult Schizophrenia

Latuda Approved for Adult Schizophrenia

“Symptoms include hallucinations and delusions”

Lurasidone HCI (Latuda) tablets have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adult schizophrenia, which affects about 1 percent of the nation’s adult population in a given year, the agency said Thursday (Oct.28,20110) in a news release.

According to studies, Schizophrenia, can cause some extreme symptoms ranging from hearing voices to hallucinations. Reportedly, the drug was approved after four studies which showed that those taking it had less symptoms of schizophrenia than those in the study who were taking a placebo .

Of course, there are some side effects of taking the new drug, as there are with any kind of medication, particularly those which are designed to treat psychiatric problems. The possible side effects which have been listed include high blood sugar, weight gain and diabetes. It is also said to cause death in elderly people when the drug is being used to treat dementia, which the FDA has not approved the medication for.

However, there are a lot of things that suggest that this new drug could be extremely helpful in treating adult patients with Schizophrenia. The psychiatric illness can cause extreme problems for sufferers and it can often make it very difficult to lead a normal life, particularly in social situation when it is not being treated. There are currently millions of people all over the world who are suffering from Schizophrenia but don’t actually realize it because they have yet to seek professional help or treatment through medication.

The disorder’s primary symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, disordered behavior and suspiciousness, the agency said.

Latuda is an atypical antipsychotic drug. All medications in this class contain a boxed label warning that prescribing them for unapproved use in people with dementia-related psychosis increases the risk of death. No atypical antipsychotic drug is sanctioned for people with dementia-related psychosis, the agency warned.

Common adverse reactions included drowsiness, restlessness, nausea, an uncontrolled urge to move (akathisia), and movement disorders including tremors, muscle stiffness and slow movement.

Latuda is produced by Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, based in Fort Lee, N.J.