Maverick
05-11-2004, 04:01 AM
Hi guys,
Be careful what medicine you give to your children. Some of them induce stuttering.
Maverick.
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Drug-Induced Stuttering
The editors of the independent French drug bulletin Prescrire International reviewed drug-induced stuttering in their February 2000 issue. Prescrire International ranks with the American Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics and the British Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin as a source of high quality pharmaceutical information written specifically for doctors and pharmacists. The Bulletin reports that a number of drugs used to treat severe psychiatric illness have been implicated in causing drug induced stuttering.
Stuttering usually begins in childhood, but can also occur in adults, due to certain types of brain damage and stress. Stuttering affects normal fluency and rhythm of word production and is characterized by the frequent occurrence of one or more of these manifestations: repetition of sounds and syllables, prolongation of sounds, interjections, interruptions of words, silent or audible freezing, avoidance of difficult words by the use of different phrasing, excessive physical tension accompanying the production of some words, and repetition of whole monosyllabic words.
A review done in 1998 of the world's medical literature and published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found 22 cases of stuttering induced by drugs. The Prescrire International editors found an additional two published cases. Four of the 24 cases involved children, while two involved patients over 60 years of age. In some cases the stuttering was accompanied by spasm or twitching of a muscle or group of muscles, restless leg syndrome, or tics. The onset of stuttering in anyone following the start of a new drug is suspicious, at the very least. Remember Rule 4 of Safer Drug Use: Assume That Any New Symptom You Develop After Starting a New Drug Might Be Caused By the Drug. In fact, in all 24 of these cases, the stuttering always ceased rapidly when the culprit drug was withdrawn and in eight (8) cases, a rechallenge with the offending drug caused the stuttering to recur. Thus the causal relationship between these drugs and stuttering is quite clear.
The following is a list of the most frequently incriminated families of drugs and commonly prescribed drugs within these families: Those drugs in bold print are those drugs that were actually associated with cases.
Antiepileptic Drugs (seizure medications)
gabapentin (NEURONTIN); phenytoin (DILANTIN)
Antidepressants-*tricyclic family
amitriptyline (ELAVIL); amoxapine (ASENDIN); clomipramine (ANAFRANIL); desipramine (NORPRAMIN); doxepin (SINEQUAN); imipramine (TOFRANIL); nortriptyline (AVENTYL); protriptyline (VIVACTIL); trimipramine (SURMONTIL)
Antidepressants-*selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) family
citalopram (CELEXA); fluoxetine (PROZAC); fluvoxamine (LUVOX); paroxetine (PAXIL); sertraline (ZOLOFT)
Antidepressants-*monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) family
isocarboxazid (MARPLAN); phenelzine (NARDIL); tranylcypromine (PARNATE)
Antipsychotics--phenothiazine family
chlorpromazine (THORAZINE); fluphenazine (PROLIXIN); mesoridazine (SERENTIL); perphenazine (TRILAFON); prochlorperazine (COMPAZINE); promazine (SPARINE); thioridazine (MELLARIL); trifluoperazine (STELAZINE); triflupromazine (VESPRIN)
Mood Stabilizers
gabapentin (NEURONTIN); lithium (LITHOBID, LITHONATE)
Tranquilizers/Sleeping pills-*benzodiazepine family
alprazolam (XANAX); chlordiazepoxide (LIBRIUM); clorazepate (TRANXENE); diazepam (VALIUM); estazolam (PROSOM); flurazepam (DALMANE); halazepam (PAXIPAM); lorazepam (ATIVAN); prazepam (CENTRAX); quazepam (DORAL); temazepam (RESTORIL); triazolam (HALCION)
Miscellaneous Drugs
methylphenidate (RITALIN); theophylline (SLO-BID, THEO-DUR) * three cases involved asthmatic children
In the published case reports reviewed by Prescrire International the stuttering always ceased rapidly when the culprit drug was withdrawn.
What You Can Do
Stuttering should be considered a possible adverse drug reaction even though in most cases stuttering is not caused by adverse reactions to drugs.
If you or a family member develops stuttering after starting one of the drugs listed above talk to your doctor about the possibility of drug-induced stuttering and trying to lower the dosage or switch to another drug.
http://www.citizen.org/ELETTER/ARTICLES/stuttering.htm
Be careful what medicine you give to your children. Some of them induce stuttering.
Maverick.
----------------------------------------
Drug-Induced Stuttering
The editors of the independent French drug bulletin Prescrire International reviewed drug-induced stuttering in their February 2000 issue. Prescrire International ranks with the American Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics and the British Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin as a source of high quality pharmaceutical information written specifically for doctors and pharmacists. The Bulletin reports that a number of drugs used to treat severe psychiatric illness have been implicated in causing drug induced stuttering.
Stuttering usually begins in childhood, but can also occur in adults, due to certain types of brain damage and stress. Stuttering affects normal fluency and rhythm of word production and is characterized by the frequent occurrence of one or more of these manifestations: repetition of sounds and syllables, prolongation of sounds, interjections, interruptions of words, silent or audible freezing, avoidance of difficult words by the use of different phrasing, excessive physical tension accompanying the production of some words, and repetition of whole monosyllabic words.
A review done in 1998 of the world's medical literature and published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found 22 cases of stuttering induced by drugs. The Prescrire International editors found an additional two published cases. Four of the 24 cases involved children, while two involved patients over 60 years of age. In some cases the stuttering was accompanied by spasm or twitching of a muscle or group of muscles, restless leg syndrome, or tics. The onset of stuttering in anyone following the start of a new drug is suspicious, at the very least. Remember Rule 4 of Safer Drug Use: Assume That Any New Symptom You Develop After Starting a New Drug Might Be Caused By the Drug. In fact, in all 24 of these cases, the stuttering always ceased rapidly when the culprit drug was withdrawn and in eight (8) cases, a rechallenge with the offending drug caused the stuttering to recur. Thus the causal relationship between these drugs and stuttering is quite clear.
The following is a list of the most frequently incriminated families of drugs and commonly prescribed drugs within these families: Those drugs in bold print are those drugs that were actually associated with cases.
Antiepileptic Drugs (seizure medications)
gabapentin (NEURONTIN); phenytoin (DILANTIN)
Antidepressants-*tricyclic family
amitriptyline (ELAVIL); amoxapine (ASENDIN); clomipramine (ANAFRANIL); desipramine (NORPRAMIN); doxepin (SINEQUAN); imipramine (TOFRANIL); nortriptyline (AVENTYL); protriptyline (VIVACTIL); trimipramine (SURMONTIL)
Antidepressants-*selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) family
citalopram (CELEXA); fluoxetine (PROZAC); fluvoxamine (LUVOX); paroxetine (PAXIL); sertraline (ZOLOFT)
Antidepressants-*monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) family
isocarboxazid (MARPLAN); phenelzine (NARDIL); tranylcypromine (PARNATE)
Antipsychotics--phenothiazine family
chlorpromazine (THORAZINE); fluphenazine (PROLIXIN); mesoridazine (SERENTIL); perphenazine (TRILAFON); prochlorperazine (COMPAZINE); promazine (SPARINE); thioridazine (MELLARIL); trifluoperazine (STELAZINE); triflupromazine (VESPRIN)
Mood Stabilizers
gabapentin (NEURONTIN); lithium (LITHOBID, LITHONATE)
Tranquilizers/Sleeping pills-*benzodiazepine family
alprazolam (XANAX); chlordiazepoxide (LIBRIUM); clorazepate (TRANXENE); diazepam (VALIUM); estazolam (PROSOM); flurazepam (DALMANE); halazepam (PAXIPAM); lorazepam (ATIVAN); prazepam (CENTRAX); quazepam (DORAL); temazepam (RESTORIL); triazolam (HALCION)
Miscellaneous Drugs
methylphenidate (RITALIN); theophylline (SLO-BID, THEO-DUR) * three cases involved asthmatic children
In the published case reports reviewed by Prescrire International the stuttering always ceased rapidly when the culprit drug was withdrawn.
What You Can Do
Stuttering should be considered a possible adverse drug reaction even though in most cases stuttering is not caused by adverse reactions to drugs.
If you or a family member develops stuttering after starting one of the drugs listed above talk to your doctor about the possibility of drug-induced stuttering and trying to lower the dosage or switch to another drug.
http://www.citizen.org/ELETTER/ARTICLES/stuttering.htm