Antipsychotic Drug Side Effects
The risks of these drugs are provided so the public can make informed, educated decisions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a black box warning about antipsychotics increasing the risk of death in elderly with dementia. Common brand name Antipsychotics include Abilify, Clozaril, Geodon, Invega, Risperdal, Seroquel, Zyprexa, Fanapt.
- Agitation in newborns
- Akathisia (severe restlessness)
- Birth defects
- Blood clots
- Blood pressure changes
- Blurred vision
- Breathing difficulties in newborns
- Cognitive and motor impairment
- Convulsion
- Death
- Diabetes
- Dizziness
- Excessive sedation
- Falls in the elderly
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Head shaking
- Heart and lung depression
- Heart problems
- Hemorrhaging
- High Cholesterol
- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
- Hypothermia
- Involuntary movement disorder
- Lung/throat infection that may be fatal
- Muscle rigidity in newborns
- Nervous system disorders
- Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome
- Obsessive compulsive symptoms
- Pain in extremities
- Pneumonia
- Red blood cell decrease
- Sedation
- Seizures
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sleep apnea
- Sleep disorder
- Stroke
- Taste sense impairment
- Tremor in newborns
- Urinary retention
- Weight gain
- White blood cell decrease
- Withdrawal symptoms
- Birth defects
- Blood clots
- Blood sugar changes
- Cardiovascular events
- Cataracts
- Cerebrovasular events
- Cognitive decline/impairment
- Coma
- Confusion
- Death
- Delusional thinking
- Diabetes
- Drug toxicity
- Falls in the elderly
- Gastrointestinal symptoms
- Heart problems
- High pituitary hormone levels
- Insulin resistance
- Lack of efficacy
- Loss of bone mass
- Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome
- Parkinson’s disease
- Pneumonia
- Psychosis
- Respiratory problems
- Risk of fractures
- Seizures/tremors/convulsions
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sleep problems
- Stroke
- Tardive dyskinesia
- Thyroid autoimmunity
- Tooth decay
- Tumors
- Violence
- Weight gain
- Withdrawal symptoms
Documented Side Effects of Antipsychotics:
Agitation
Akathisia
Anxiety
Behavior changes
Birth defects
Blood disorders
Blurred vision
Cardiac arrest
Death from liver failure
Depression
Diabetes
Excessive weight gain
Fatal blood clots
Heart arrhythmia
Heart failure
Heart palpitation
Hemorrhage
Hostility
Hyperglycemia
Hypoglycemia
Insomnia
Involuntary movements
Manic reaction
Mood changes
Muscle spasms
Nausea
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome
Nightmares
Pancreatitis
Seizures/convulsions
Sexual dysfunction
Slow/difficult speech
Suicidal thoughts
Tardive Dyskinesia
Tremors
Violence
Weight gain
Yellowing of skin/eyes
Antipsychotics Side Effects Reported to the FDA: There have been 104,512 Adverse Drug Reactions in connection with antipsychotics that have been reported to the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (MedWatch), between 2004 and 2011.
The FDA estimates that less than 1% of all serious events are ever reported to it, so the actual number of side effects occurring are most certainly higher.
These include:
- 10,842 cases of diabetes
- 5,111 cases of death/sudden death
- 4,960 cases of suicide (completed suicides, suicide attempts)
- 2,239 cases of hallucinations
- 2,158 cases of anxiety
- 2,141 cases of depression/major depression
- 2,085 cases of coma
- 1,481 cases of aggression
- 894 cases of mania
- 830 cases of withdrawal symptoms
- 167 cases of homicidal ideation
- 167 cases of sexual dysfunction
- 101 cases of physical assault
- 99 cases of hostility
- 88 cases of birth defects
- 82 cases of psychosis
- 58 cases of homicide
- 34 cases of violence-related symptoms
- 14 cases of stillbirth
For more details, including numbers of side effects reported, click here >>
There have been 55 warnings from seven countries (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa) and the European Union warning that antipsychotic drugs cause harmful side effects. These include the following (note that some warnings cite more than one side effect, so the list below may not be equal to the total number of warnings):
- 12 warnings on antipsychotics causing death/sudden death
- 11 warnings on antipsychotics causing causing heart problems
- 6 warnings on antipsychotics causing withdrawal symptoms
- 6 warnings on antipsychotics causing convulsions, seizures or tremors
- 5 warnings on antipsychotics causing causing diabetes
- 3 warnings on antipsychotics causing birth defects
- 3 warnings on antipsychotics causing agitation
- 1 warning on antipsychotics causing mania and psychosis
- 1 warning on antipsychotics causing sexual dysfunction
Antipsychotic Drug Studies:
There are 77 studies from twelve countries (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, Australia, Spain, Turkey, Italy, Israel, Ireland, Denmark and New Zealand) showing that antipsychotic drugs cause harmful side effects. These include the following (note that some studies cite more than one side effect, so the list below may not be equal to the total number of studies):
- 13 studies on antipsychotics causing death or increased mortality
- 10 studies on antipsychotics causing diabetes
- 6 studies on antipsychotics causing heart problems
- 2 studies on antipsychotics causing seizures or convulsions
- 1 studies on antipsychotics causing birth defects
- 1 study on antipsychotics causing violence and homicidal ideation
- 1 study on antipsychotics causing coma
- 1 study on antipsychotics causing psychosis and delusional thinking
- 1 study on antipsychotics causing sexual dysfunction
 Download The Side Effects of Common Psychiatric Drugs here >>This brochure is a simple guide that documents the dangerous and deadly side effects of the drugs prescribed to millions of men, women and children diagnosed with bogus mental disorders. |
Please note: No one should attempt to get off of psychiatric drugs without doctor’s supervision. To help find medical practitioners in your area, click here
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They put me on Haldol and later on on Risperdal by force. They called it a “treatment with the help of the justice department’, and where able to do so just because i talk about facts that had happened to psychiatrist. To cover up four times of maltreatment on me and something that looks like they tried to poison me from witch i got sick, but instead they poisoned my daughter to who was 2.5 years old and developed leukemia from it. Since that forced medication I’ve developed suicidal thoughts and got severe depressed, from witch i still suffer. I was always able to live a normal live, but since the medication i am a wreck. There where people playing games with my life for years to destroy it, and if i tell about it they put the label paranoid delusions on me, and then ‘threat’ me for that, destroying me that way. This is called Kafkaesque.