Antipsychotic drugs tied to weight gain in children
Children and adolescents who have serious mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or mood disorders are increasingly being treated with second-generation antipsychotic drugs. Compared to similar patients not taking the drugs, a new study reports, young people from 4 to 19 years old who were taking them for the first time quickly gained significant amounts of weight. Some patients had other changes that might put them at risk for diabetes and heart problems.
Dr. Christopher Correll of Zucker Hillside Hospital in New York led a team of researchers who studied 205 children newly prescribed antipsychotic drugs. After about 10 weeks, their weight increased an average of 13 pounds compared with less than a pound gained in a comparison group. Depending on the drug, 10 percent to 36 percent of the patients crossed the line into the obese or overweight category, based on body mass index. Two drugs, olanzapine and quetiapine, were linked to higher cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which are risk factors for metabolic syndrome.
BOTTOM LINE: Children and adolescents who took antipsychotic medications for the first time rapidly gained weight and in some cases had higher blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels than a similar group not on the medications.
CAUTIONS: The study was small and short-term. Because patients were not randomly assigned to take the drugs, the results may have been affected by differences among the patients themselves.
WHERE TO FIND IT: Journal of the American Medical Association, Oct. 28
