Rapid Weight Gain, Decreased Insulin Sensitivity Found in Youth Taking SGAs for First Time

Within 12 weeks of starting treatment with low-dose aripiprazole, olanzapine, or risperidone, youth with disruptive behavioral disorders experienced significant increases in total body fat, according to astudy published today inJAMA Psychiatry. The study also found that youth treated with these second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) experienced decreases in insulin sensitivity over the 12-week period.The findings point to the importance of continued monitoring for metabolic abnormalities when treating youth with antipsychotics.For the study, Ginger E. Nicol, M.D., of the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and colleagues recruited antipsychotic-na ïve youth aged 6 to 18 with one or more psychiatric disorders and clinically significant aggression. A total of 144 youth were assigned to aripiprazole, olanzapine, or risperidone for 12 weeks. (According to the study authors, mean final antipsychotic doses were representative of pediatric practice patterns and below the doses typically used to treat psychosis: aripiprazole, 6.0 mg; olanzapine, 6.3 mg; risperidone, 1.0 mg.)The authors used dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to assess changes in total body fat and abdominal fat over the course of the trial. At baseline and 12 weeks, the youth also received an insulin sensitivity test and answered questions about their symptoms.Although the youth experienced clinically and statistically significant...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: antipsychotic medications aripiprazole fat Ginger E. Nicol insulin sensitivity JAMA Psychiatry Johan Detraux Marc De Hert olanzapine risperidone weight gain Source Type: research