Psychiatric Times (10/19, J. Bender) reports a study found that the “first antipsychotic that is selected for a patient could influence the weight gained in subsequent years.” Researchers observed “that patients receiving either aripiprazole, quetiapine, olanzapine, or risperidone in the first year of treatment are most likely to have experienced weight gain in 5 years from a normal body mass index (BMI) at baseline. No significant weight gain from the normal baseline was found in that period after initial prescriptions of perphenazine, fluphenazine, or amisulpride.” The investigators also “concluded that, in addition to differences between agents in relation to the weight gain measured at 5 years, the interaction between drugs and disposition to weight gain is complex.” The study was published in Neurology and Therapy.
Related Links:
— “Can the Initial Antipsychotic Influence Years of Weight Gain?,”Kenneth J. Bender, Psychiatric Times , October 19, 2025