U.S. doctors have tested a treatment for weight gain caused by some anti-psychotic medications.
The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, published in Biological Psychiatry, evaluated an add-on treatment known as modafinil — a drug currently used to increase wakefulness in those with sleep disorders.
All of the study subjects — normal volunteers — received olanzapine — commonly used to treat psychotic disorders. Half also received modafinil treatment while the other half received placebo. After three weeks, although the body mass index was increased in both groups, those receiving olanzapine/placebo showed significantly greater weight increase than those receiving olanzapine/modafinil.
Study leader Dr. James Roerig of the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences and The Neuropsychiatric Research Institute in Fargo said this short-term study in healthy individuals shows promise.
Modafinil can now be evaluated as a viable candidate for a larger, more complex clinical trial to determine efficacy in a patient population,
Roerig said in a statement.
Anti-psychotic drugs — such as olanzapine, risperidone and quetiapine — have commonly been used to treat not only psychotic disorders like schizophrenia, but also bipolar disorder and even behavioral problems related to dementia.
The researchers added the side effect of weight gain commonly experienced with anti-psychotic medications causes many patients to discontinue treatment.
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