Young men and boys who have taken popular antipsychotic Risperdal have been reporting severe and embarrassing medication side effects.

Across the United States, these patients have reportedly been developing male breast growth and other adverse Risperdal side effects.

Even though this is a very serious medical infliction, recent reports indicate that foster children in America are regularly given Risperdal and other antipsychotics.

According to a new study, one in nine children in the United States foster care system are medicated with antipsychotics even with the controversy over severe Risperdal medication side effects.

The Health Affairs report indicates over one third of foster children receiving these antipsychotics, were not give counseling or other psychosocial treatments. Many doctors and policymakers state these psychological treatments should have first been implemented, rather than the medications.

The study also indicated nearly three quarters of foster children who are prescribed antipsychotics were never tested to evaluated their risk for diabetes development. Even though public health officials warn that antipsychotics can interfere with glucose levels.

“It’s just easier to write a prescription than it is to provide a more systematic approach to the underlying behavioral problems,” said lead author Stephen Crystal, Director of the Center for Health Services Research at Rutgers University.

Overview of Risperdal Prescription Problem

Medical and legal experts have both voiced their concerns regarding this epidemic, especially with the vulnerability of children in the foster care system.

Currently there are over 400,000 children in the United States foster system, with many system officials opting for medications like Risperdal or Zyprexa rather than therapy interventions.

Risperdal has become particularly popular amongst children in the United States, due to its unique treatment mechanism.

Risperdal works by streamlining the brain chemical dopamine, which is the brain chemical responsible for pleasure and reward sensors. Even though Risperdal has only been available for pediatric use since 2006, physicians have been prescribing it off label to children for years.

Typically, this medication is prescribed to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Tourette’s syndrome, and some forms of autism for children. However, the study indicates that physicians also prescribe Risperdal to manage hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, and other disruptive behaviors.

The study indicates nearly 40% of foster care children, age 17 and under, were prescribed antipsychotics to children exhibiting disruptive behaviors.

Even though the number of foster children receiving these medications is higher compared to children not in the system, the study does indicate the rate is dropping.

In 2005, 8.73 percent of foster children were prescribed antipsychotics that increased to 9.26 percent in 2008. However, the number dropped to 8.92 percent in 2010. Even with the number still high, medical experts feel optimistic that the number is dropping.

According to Professor Susan dosReis of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, the trend is “moving in the right direction”. Even though she was not involved in the study, dosReis was pleased to see the number of foster children on antipsychotics drop from nearly 4 percent to 2.76 percent between 2009 and 2011.

Overall even though the trend is going down, foster children are more vulnerable to potential Risperdal side effects with the prescription rate significantly higher compared to children not in the foster care system.