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Antipsychotic safety

Baseline tests before a child starts an antipsychotic

Before a child starts an antipsychotic, baseline blood tests and measurements should be taken.

99% of the time this step is missed

The silent should: Before a child starts an antipsychotic, baseline blood tests and measurements should be taken.

In our analysis of de-identified U.S. psychiatric records, this step was missing 99% of the time it should have happened.

This page is information to help you ask questions — it is not medical advice, and you should never start, stop, or change a medication on your own. Bring these questions to your clinician.

Questions for your doctor the next time you see them

Copy a line and ask it — these are questions, never instructions to change treatment.

  • Before my child starts this antipsychotic, what baseline tests will be done?
  • How will weight and blood sugar be monitored going forward?

This page is informational and not medical advice. It describes care patterns across a population, not your situation. Bring these questions to a clinician who knows you.

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