Metformin
Offsets Weight Gain in Children on Psychotropics
Metformin
may help offset weight gain in pediatric patients taking
psychotropic medications, according to an open label study
reported in the April issue of the American
Journal of Psychiatry.
"In
this preliminary evaluation of metformin as a treatment for weight
gain associated with psychotropic drugs, the steep increase in
weight experienced from these drugs was arrested in all
patients," write John A. Morrison, PhD, from the Children's
Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and colleagues.
Of
19 children, aged 10 to 18 years, receiving olanzapine,
risperidone, quetiapine, or valproate, 15 were white and 4 were
black, and there were 12 boys and 7 girls. Each patient received
metformin, 500 mg three times daily, in a 12-week open-label
study.
Of
the 19 patients, 15 lost weight, 3 gained up to 1.6 kg, and 1
patient had no change. The mean changes in weight and body mass
index at 12 weeks were highly significant. One patient who gained
1.6 kg was also receiving intramuscular medroxyprogesterone
acetate, which can also cause weight gain.
Despite several
limitations of this preliminary study and the need for randomized
controlled trials, the authors conclude that "the pattern of
sustained, continued weight loss suggests that the weight loss was
not due to the placebo effect. Metformin holds promise as a
treatment for weight gain in pediatric patients taking
psychotropic medications." Am
J Psychiatry. 2002;159(4):655-657
FACT:
Gestational
diabetes develops in 2% to 5% of all pregnancies but disappears
when a pregnancy is over. However, women who have had gestational
diabetes are at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes
later in life. In some studies, up to 40% of women with a history
of gestational diabetes and obesity developed type 2 diabetes
within 4 years of pregnancy
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