Pharmacological Interventions for Weight Reduction in Patients With Schizophrenia Treated With Antipsychotics

Which pharmacological interventions are associated with reducing body weight in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) treated with antipsychotics?This systematic review and network meta-analysis, encompassing 95 studies and 39 distinct pharmacological interventions (pooled N = 5898), found that semaglutide, liraglutide, topiramate, metformin, and exenatide were associated with the most significant reductions in body weight compared to placebo. Beneficial effects on other metabolic outcomes were noted with several of the medications, and there were no major concerns with adverse effects or dropouts between interventions.Adjunctive pharmacological interventions represent an important strategy to treat weight gain associated with antipsychotic use in SSDs.

Corresponding Author: Sri Mahavir Agarwal, MBBS, MD, PhD (mahavir.agarwal@camh.ca), and Margaret K. Hahn, MD, PhD (margaret.hahn@camh.ca), Center for Addiction and Mental Health, 1051 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1H3, Canada.

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