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Weight gain associated with atypical antipsychotics is reportedly more severe in children than in adults, even when expected weight gain with growth is taken into account. These researchers examined the possible ameliorative effects of metformin, which was developed for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus. The drug decreases hepatic gluconeogenesis and gastrointestinal glucose absorption and improves insulin sensitivity.
This 16-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study involved 38 children (age range, 10–17) who had received risperidone, olanzapine, or quetiapine for less than 1 year and had gained at least 10% over their pretreatment weight. The metformin group received the drug twice daily, titrated to 850 mg. All participant…