Co-commencement with antipsychotic medications can reduce weight gain by 4.03 kg compared with control<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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MONDAY, Dec. 30, 2024 (HealthDay News) — In a guideline published online Dec. 9 in Schizophrenia Bulletin<\/em>, recommendations are presented for the use of metformin to prevent antipsychotic-induced weight gain (AIWG).<\/p>\n Aoife Carolan, from Saint John of God Hospital in Dublin, and colleagues developed a guideline for use of metformin for prevention of AIWG, following the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II instrument (AGREE II).<\/p>\n The authors note that the only pharmacological instrument that has demonstrated efficacy for preventing AIWG is metformin. Compared with controls, co-commencement with antipsychotic medications can reduce weight gain by 4.03 kg. The guideline for metformin use was developed for co-commencement with an antipsychotic or commencement if certain criteria are met. Strong recommendations include co-commencement of metformin with medium-risk antipsychotics in the presence of one or more cardiometabolic risk factors or in those aged 10 to 25 years, as well as commencement of metformin with any antipsychotic if a >3 percent increase in baseline body weight occurs during the first year of treatment.<\/p>\n “This is the first published evidence-based guideline using the AGREE II framework and GRADE methods for the use of metformin to prevent AIWG incorporating recommendations for co-commencement,” the authors write. “Implementation and evaluation of the guideline will be supported by a shared decision-making package and assessment of barriers and facilitators to implementation.”<\/p>\n