Children, Teens Treated With Antipsychotic Medications May Experience Weight Gain, Develop Increased Risk Of Diabetes, Small Scan Study Indicates.

“First time administration of antipsychotic medications to children and teenagers diagnosed with disruptive behavior disorders was associated with increased body fat and decreased insulin sensitivity,” researchers concluded. In fact, “aripiprazole, olanzapine, and risperidone...were tested and demonstrated a combined increase in adiposity amongst participants from 30% at baseline to 46.5% after 12 weeks of treatment,” the 144-participant study found. The findings were published online June 13 in JAMA Psychiatry. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-care-news/articles/2018-06-13/study-children-on-antipsychotics-at-risk-for-weight-gain-and-diabetes