Loading...
Because weight gain caused by atypical antipsychotic drugs might be related in part to insulin resistance, Canadian investigators conducted a 16-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of adjunctive metformin, which increases insulin receptor sensitivity and reduces glucose production.
Participants were 60 children (mean age, 13) taking antipsychotics (primarily risperidone or aripiprazole) for behavioral dysregulation associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). At study baseline, only one participant was of normal weight and 51 (85%) were obese.
Whereas z-score for body-mass index (BMI) did not change in the placebo group during the study, it showed a significant relative decrease in the metformin group (group difference…