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Metformin has been used successfully to treat polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), restore menstruation in amenorrheic obese women, and improve antipsychotic-associated weight gain and insulin resistance in schizophrenia patients. Based on these observations, investigators in China examined effects of metformin in 84 physically healthy, non–substance-abusing outpatients experiencing amenorrhea in their first year of treatment for first-episode schizophrenia.
Weight gain of greater than 10%, measured from initiation of antipsychotic treatment to study entry, occurred in 70% of patients. Antipsychotics were clozapine, olanzapine, risperidone, or sulpiride; doses were relatively stable for the preceding 6 months. In a randomized, double-blind prot…