Cholesterol, Diabetes, BP Meds May Help Treat Serious Mental Illness

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

safety-lane.com 07105

NEWARK

http://bit.ly/1DCt06V




Cholesterol, Diabetes, BP Meds May Help Treat Serious Mental Illness


Statins, calcium channel blockers, and metformin may have a role in treating serious mental illness, new research suggests.

Joseph Hayes, PhD
In a large observational study, investigators found individuals with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (BPD), or nonaffective psychosis (NAP) were less likely to experience psychiatric hospitalization during periods of exposure to any of these agents compared with unexposed periods. In addition, people with schizophrenia or BPD were less likely to self-harm during exposure periods.
“There has been a lack of new drug development for these devastating disorders, but there is some research suggesting that a number of drugs already licensed for other indications may have positive effects on psychiatric symptoms,” first author Joseph Hayes, PhD, from the Division of Psychiatry, University College London, UK, told Medscape Medical News.
The study was published online January 9 in JAMA Psychiatry.

New Life for Old Drugs?

The researchers analyzed data on 142,691 patients, including 76,759 with BPD, 30,954 with schizophrenia, and 34,978 with NAP. They focused on patients prescribed statins to reduce cholesterol/heart disease, L-type calcium channel (LTCC) antagonists (such as verapamil) to treat hypertension, or biguanides (such as metformin) to treat diabetes.
Periods of exposure to statins, LTCC antagonists, and biguanides were significantly associated with reduced rates of psychiatric hospitalization in BPD, schizophrenia, and NAP.
Adjusted Hazard Ratios for Psychiatric Hospitalization During
Exposure (95% CI)
Disorder Statins LTCC Antagonists Biguanides
BPD 0.86 (0.83 – 0.89) 0.92 (0.88 – 0.96) 0.80 (0.77 – 0.84)
Schizophrenia 0.75 (0.71 – 0.79) 0.80 (0.74 – 0.85) 0.73 (0.69 – 0.77)
NAP 0.80 (0.75 – 0.85) 0.89 (0.83 – 0.96) 0.85 (0.79 – 0.92)
In addition, self-harm was reduced in patients with BPD and schizophrenia during exposure to all study drugs and in patients with NAP during exposure to LTCC antagonists.
“At this stage, we are not suggesting people with these mental illnesses change their treatment and we wouldn’t recommend using these medications instead of conventional medication for severe mental illness,” said Hayes.
“However, there is evidence that people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other psychotic illnesses tend to have their physical health undertreated. Particularly, they are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes; illnesses these medications are designed to treat. It is therefore worth patients working with their doctors to optimize prescribing for these physical conditions, which may then have additional beneficial effects on mental health,” he added.
Although none of these drugs have been comprehensively investigated as repurposed agents to improve mental disorders, each has a theoretical basis for effectiveness. Potential mechanisms for statins in psychiatric illness include anti-inflammatory effects or potentially increased absorption and CNS uptake of antipsychotics.
As for calcium channel blockers, calcium dysregulation in BPD is well known and calcium signaling is implicated in the etiology of schizophrenia. Metformin is also hypothesized to improve cognitive and mood dysfunction symptoms by mitigating metabolic disturbances.
The study was supported by the Wellcome Trust, University College London Hospitals, National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, and Swedish Research Council. Hayes and So have reported no relevant financial relationships.
JAMA Psychiatry. Published online January 9, 2019. Full text

via Blogger http://bit.ly/2RU66VD