Behavioral Interventions for Antipsychotic Induced Appetite Changes

• Weight gain remains a well recognized yet difficult to treat adverse effect of many anti-psychotic drugs including agents of the first and second generation. The weight gain liabilities of antipsychotic drugs are partly associated with their ability to increase appetite. Most behavioral interventions for weight control remain of limited efficacy, possibly because they do not specifically target the neuroendocrine factors regulating appetite. Identifying new weight management interventions directly acting on the biochemical and neuroendocrine mechanisms of anti-psychotic induced weight gain may help to improve the efficacy of behavioral weight management programs. Such potentially specific strategies include (1) using diets which do not increase appetite despite calorie restriction; (2) countering thirst as an anticholinergic side-effect; (3) discouraging cannabis use and (4) adding metformin to a behavioral intervention. In view of our currently rather limited treatment repertoire it seems timely systematically to explore such novel options.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Psykiatri (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Psychiatry (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Antipsychotics

Anticholinergic

Appetite

Cannabis

Diabetes

Diet

Insulin

Leptin

Ketogenic

Metabolic syndrome

Metformin

Prevention

Thirst

Weight gain

Behavioral interventions

Psychotic disorders

Psychiatry

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)