Antipsychotic Drugs Can Cause Rapid Weight Gain in Kids

Obesity is still a big problem within our country, and now one of the medications prescribed for children could be a factor in their weight gain. Up to one-third of adolescents and children who took some of the common antipsychotic drugs for the first time became overweight or obese in as little as 11 weeks, which in turn raised their risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Researchers said that doctors who prescribe these antipsychotics to children should carefully consider the benefits against the risk, and keep a close eye on the children who are taking these medications. Dr. Christopher Varley and Dr. Jon McClellan from the Seattle Children’s Hospital wrote in a commentary for the Journal of the American Medical Association that, “These data confirm prior findings that children and adolescents are highly vulnerable to antipsychotic medication. These results challenge the widespread use of atypical antipsychotic medications in youth.”

Dr. Monica Michell, a child psychiatrist at the Lenox Hill Hospital in New York who was not involved with this study, said that these findings caution us and underscores the long-term potential harm that these drugs can cause. She also stated, “For children, who are not psychotic or bipolar, these medicines should be a last resort."

This study looked at four of the most common antipsychotic medications used in children: Risperdal or risperidone made by Johnson & Johnson, Zyprexa or olanzapine made by Eli Lilly, Abilify or aripiprazole made by Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Seroquel or quetiapine made by AstraZeneca.

A research team, led by Dr. Christopher Correll from Zucker Hillside Hospital and the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York, studied approximately 272 teens and children who were between the ages of 4 to 19 that suffered from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and aggressive or disruptive behavior spectrum disorders.

After approximately 11 weeks, the participants that took Zyprexa gained an average of 18.7 pounds, those who took Seroquel gained 13.4 pounds, those who took Risperdal gained 11.7 pounds and those who took Abilify gained 9.7 pounds. Altogether, 10 to 36 percent of participants became overweight or obese within 11 weeks. Correll stated, “The weight gain is dramatic, rapid and pervasive.” However, he said, not all of the medications performed the same.

The children who took Zyprexa showed to have the most dramatic weight gain and the biggest changes in their metabolic factors such as cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar, which can cause diabetes and heart problems. Abilify, a medication that is usually not linked with weight gain in adults, did cause the kids to gain weight, but was not shown to raise blood sugar levels or cholesterol. Correll hopes to be able to conduct more research to help determine what caused these differences. He said, “We will look at genetics and look at blood samples to see what changed early on that predicted weight gain.

Currently, only two atypical antipsychotics are approved for children to take, Abilify and Risperdal. However, in June, a Food and Drug Administration panel of experts backed the wider use of Seroquel, Zyprexa, and Pfizer’s Geodon for teens and children.

At the time, many of the panel members expressed their concerns about the rising sales of the drugs to young people and the lack of long-term studies for safety. The members were especially worried about the chance that the drugs might be misused to treat other conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The FDA has still not acted on the panel’s endorsement.

Last November, a panel of outside experts called on the FDA and other U.S. healthy agencies to help study the long-term effects of prescribing these antipsychotic medications to kids.

Zyprexa is Lilly’s top-selling medication with sales of over $4.7 billion last year. Seroquel is the second-best seller for AstraZeneca with over $4.5 billion for the year 2008.

It is always best to consult with your physician about your child’s disorder and find out what is the best solution, while keeping the immediate and long term effects of the medications in mind.