Duh...
First time administration of antipsychotic medications to children and teenagers diagnosed with disruptive behavior disorders was associated with increased body fat and decreased insulin sensitivity, a randomized clinical trial showed.
Three commonly used antipsychotic medicines -- aripiprazole, olanzapine, and risperidone -- were tested and demonstrated an increase in the combined rate of overweight and obesity amongst participants from 30% at baseline to 46.5% after 12 weeks of treatment, according to Ginger E. Nicol, MD, of Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, and colleagues.
Anti-psychotic medications are associated with weight gain and its sequelae. Childhood onset of obesity and insulin resistance carries a greater risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease than onset in adults.
This first-of-its-kind study is important given the fact that off-label prescription of antipsychotic medication is commonly used to treat disruptive behavior disorders in non-psychotic children and teenagers, with the greatest use in publicly insured young people, the authors noted.