FRIDAY, Dec. 1 (HealthDay News) -- While increasing numbers of children and teens are being treated for psychiatric illness with medications called atypical antipsychotics, many experience significant weight gain while on these drugs -- as much as a pound or more a week.
However, a new study suggests that the
During the 16-week study period, children taking metformin along with atypical antipsychotics lost a slight amount of weight, while those given a placebo along with their psychiatric medications gained nearly 9 pounds.
"For someone with a major psychiatric diagnosis, there's a
stigma attached to that to begin with, then if you add
Results of the study are in the December 2006 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Atypical antipsychotic medications include risperidone (brand
name Risperidal), olanzapine (brand name
Increased appetite and accompanying weight gain are common side effects attributed to the drugs.
"We know that appetite increases, but the mechanism behind that isn't fully clear," said Dr. Glenn Hirsch, medical director of the New York University Child Study Center.
Klein said his interest was piqued when he saw a patient with
That suggested, said Klein, "that there was some 'diabeticogenic' effect of these agents," and that insulin resistance might play some role in the excess weight gain.
