January 16, 2008
New Program Demonstrates Weight gain Induced by Antipsychotic Medications can be Avoided
A research team from the Laval University's Faculty of Medicine and Robert-Giffard Hospital has demonstrated that weight gain induced by the use of antipsychotic drugs - which in extreme cases can be as high as 30 kilos in only one month - can be avoided through a specially designed weight control program. The researchers supervised by psychiatrist Marie-Josee Poulin and kinesiologist Angelo Tremblay report the details of their findings in a recent edition of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry.
The researchers tested their weight control program’s effectiveness on a group of 59 patients treated for mental health problems. These people, suffering from schizophrenia and psycho-affective or bipolar disorders, had been using antipsychotic drugs for almost three years on average.
Patients were invited to attend a 90-minute educational session about healthy eating and physical activity. They then took part in two one-hour workout sessions every week for an 18-month period. These workouts included both aerobic and muscle-building exercises and were supervised by kinesiologists.
To evaluate the program’s effectiveness, the research team regularly measured the participants’ key biochemical and physical parameters and compared them to those of a control group made up of 51 sedentary or moderately active patients also taking antipsychotic medication.
In the control group, subjects’ weight, waist size and body mass index increased on average more than 4% from the beginning to the end of the study. Their levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides also went up 15% and 12% respectively.
In contrast, the subjects who took part in the weight control program saw their average weight, waist size and body mass index decrease by 4% or more while their levels of good cholesterol went up 21%, their bad cholesterol went down 14%, and their triglycerides levels decreased by 26%.
“This is encouraging news for people suffering from mental illness because weight gain induced by antipsychotic drugs has several negative effects: it disrupts the lipid profile, increases cardiovascular and diabetes risk, and interferes with effective treatment follow-up,” points out Jean-Philippe Chaput, co-author of the study. “Our results highlight the importance of a weight control program designed specifically for people who take antipsychotic drugs. In an ideal world, every prescription for antipsychotic medication should be accompanied by a prescription for physical training,” concludes the researcher.
Related Reading:
New Study Shows how to Reverse Weight Gain Common with Antipsychotic Medications
Posted by szadmin at January 16, 2008 09:27 AM
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Comments
I agree with these findings 100%. Last Winter I joined a class called Never Say Diet.The class consisted of a brief lecture a healhy snack and a brief period of exercise.The class lasted 10 weeks but I kept up the exercise program and now workout in the comfort of my house for 2 hours a day.One important point i would like to say is that the entire time spent exercising does not have to be done all at once but can instead be done thourought the day.
Posted by: Janet Kuhn at January 16, 2008 03:09 PM
I would also like to know how much the exercising patients' mental health and functioning improved compared to the group that was sedentary, as opposed to just knowing that their 'physical health' improved.
Posted by: ZyprexaCop at January 16, 2008 03:43 PM
I think you hit that right on the head that the plan should start RIGHT when you start the anti-psychotic meds, because what an uphill battle it is to lose weight after gaining about 25 to 30 pounds.
Posted by: Sheri at January 17, 2008 06:35 AM
Weight gain is a big issue with anyone, especially PWS.
I believe that one's doctor should enforce a workout program or dietician. Not everyone under psychiatric care has a PCP but clinics should have groups or education on physical health.
It is one step towards a better lifesyle.
Posted by: J D at January 25, 2008 01:46 PM
Thank you very much for your comments. To answer some of them, the weight loss program has first been designed at improving global health of any person experiencing a psychiatric disorder by a new hollistic approach of the psychiatric treatment.
By doing so, it appeared normal to develop an healthy lifestyle program combining psychoeducation, nutritional advice, and adapted physical activity programs. Our group started this program in 1998 and one of the major goal was to detect, prevent, and treat weight gain , metabolic disorders, and other comorbid medical disorders.
The program is now offered as routine mental health care. Weight gain is a major concern for our clients and it was very important for us to assess if our program could be successfull. The results were so positive that it helped us to get a sustained financial support from our hospital.
The participants in the research group also reported that this program not only helped them to keep or return to a normal weight, but it also helped them to feel better, be more confident, and have a better quality of life. More so, the patients of the active group were less hospitalized, had less relapsed, and were hospitalized for shorter durations than the control group when having needed to be admitted.
We hope that these results, as well as those from other similar groups, will help other persons with psychiatric disorders gaining access to similar clinical programs.
Posted by: Dr Marie-Josée Poulin at February 14, 2008 03:43 PM
Of course under a controlled atmosphere people who are taking antipsychotic medications can reduce the amount of weight gain, but this is unrealistic. The fact remains that antipsychotics cause weight gain, especially Zyprexa. The weight gain caused by these antipsychotics has led to diabetes. This is a medical fact. To pretend otherwise further stigmatizes the mentally ill by making them feel like they are responsible for weight gain caused by the medication. This is unfair and unacceptable. Are the mentally ill supposed to accept side effects that the rest of us wouldn't think of accepting? This is just degrading treatment and does nothing to preserve the dignity of the patient. Just be honest with them - tell them this is a bad drug because it leads to extreme weight gain, but we'll do everything we can to help you combat these effects. Please do not continue to minimize the side effects - it doesn't help patients and treats them like second-class citizens.
Posted by: Laura Peer at February 20, 2008 01:38 PM
my experiece is that Zyprexa is a very effective drug,and when you really need it,you are willing to put up with the side effects.It does not cause the fatigue that Risperidol and Seroquel cause, it works better,and it helps social/emotional health.Providing cheap aerobics classes should be part of every community health clinics's job, as we well know the risk of diabetes.
Posted by: a.hartridge at February 27, 2008 07:09 PM
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I agree with these findings 100%. Last Winter I joined a class called Never Say Diet.The class consisted of a brief lecture a healhy snack and a brief period of exercise.The class lasted 10 weeks but I kept up the exercise program and now workout in the comfort of my house for 2 hours a day.One important point i would like to say is that the entire time spent exercising does not have to be done all at once but can instead be done thourought the day.
Posted by: Janet Kuhn at January 16, 2008 03:09 PM
I would also like to know how much the exercising patients' mental health and functioning improved compared to the group that was sedentary, as opposed to just knowing that their 'physical health' improved.
Posted by: ZyprexaCop at January 16, 2008 03:43 PM
I think you hit that right on the head that the plan should start RIGHT when you start the anti-psychotic meds, because what an uphill battle it is to lose weight after gaining about 25 to 30 pounds.
Posted by: Sheri at January 17, 2008 06:35 AM
Weight gain is a big issue with anyone, especially PWS.
I believe that one's doctor should enforce a workout program or dietician. Not everyone under psychiatric care has a PCP but clinics should have groups or education on physical health.
It is one step towards a better lifesyle.
Posted by: J D at January 25, 2008 01:46 PM
Thank you very much for your comments. To answer some of them, the weight loss program has first been designed at improving global health of any person experiencing a psychiatric disorder by a new hollistic approach of the psychiatric treatment.
By doing so, it appeared normal to develop an healthy lifestyle program combining psychoeducation, nutritional advice, and adapted physical activity programs. Our group started this program in 1998 and one of the major goal was to detect, prevent, and treat weight gain , metabolic disorders, and other comorbid medical disorders.
The program is now offered as routine mental health care. Weight gain is a major concern for our clients and it was very important for us to assess if our program could be successfull. The results were so positive that it helped us to get a sustained financial support from our hospital.
The participants in the research group also reported that this program not only helped them to keep or return to a normal weight, but it also helped them to feel better, be more confident, and have a better quality of life. More so, the patients of the active group were less hospitalized, had less relapsed, and were hospitalized for shorter durations than the control group when having needed to be admitted.
We hope that these results, as well as those from other similar groups, will help other persons with psychiatric disorders gaining access to similar clinical programs.
Posted by: Dr Marie-Josée Poulin at February 14, 2008 03:43 PM
Of course under a controlled atmosphere people who are taking antipsychotic medications can reduce the amount of weight gain, but this is unrealistic. The fact remains that antipsychotics cause weight gain, especially Zyprexa. The weight gain caused by these antipsychotics has led to diabetes. This is a medical fact. To pretend otherwise further stigmatizes the mentally ill by making them feel like they are responsible for weight gain caused by the medication. This is unfair and unacceptable. Are the mentally ill supposed to accept side effects that the rest of us wouldn't think of accepting? This is just degrading treatment and does nothing to preserve the dignity of the patient. Just be honest with them - tell them this is a bad drug because it leads to extreme weight gain, but we'll do everything we can to help you combat these effects. Please do not continue to minimize the side effects - it doesn't help patients and treats them like second-class citizens.
Posted by: Laura Peer at February 20, 2008 01:38 PM
my experiece is that Zyprexa is a very effective drug,and when you really need it,you are willing to put up with the side effects.It does not cause the fatigue that Risperidol and Seroquel cause, it works better,and it helps social/emotional health.Providing cheap aerobics classes should be part of every community health clinics's job, as we well know the risk of diabetes.
Posted by: a.hartridge at February 27, 2008 07:09 PM