Zyprexa, Risperdal, and Seroquel may increase a patients’ risk of developing diabetes when compared with older antipsychotic drugs like Haldol, researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs said yesterday.

New York Times reported that, “Younger patients, under age 54, who took Zyprexa or Risperdal showed the highest risk of developing diabetes.”

The study of U.S. military veterans is the latest report to link Type 2 diabetes to some drugs in the new class of anti-psychotic drugs known as atypicals.

More than 15 million prescriptions were written last year for Zyprexa and Risperdal, according to the New York Times.

The study was based on the medical records from 19,878 U.S. military veterans treated with an older or newer antipsychotic drug between October 1998 and October 2001.

(via New York Times)