The study findings were limited by several factors, including the use of clinician-reported diagnoses rather than research-identified diagnoses and the possible lack of generalizability to Medicaid populations in other regions or to privately insured children, the researchers noted. However, the results captured long-term psychotropic use and “highlight the need for safety and outcomes research, particularly for health outcomes such as metabolic imbalance, weight gain, and sleep disturbances after initiation of psychotropic medication for very young children.”
Dr. Pennap had no financial conflicts to disclose. One of the study coauthors disclosed research grants from the National Institutes of Health.
SOURCE: Pennap D et al. JAMA Pediatr. 2018. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.0240.