- With Mayo Clinic psychiatrist
Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
Dr. Daniel Hall-Flavin, board certified in general psychiatry and addiction psychiatry, is a St. Louis native looking to the Internet as a way to help people improve their health and be more active participants in their own health care by learning from Mayo Clinic's experts.
Dr. Hall-Flavin has been a member of the faculties of Cornell University Medical College, New York Medical College, and The George Washington University Medical School before joining the Mayo Clinic staff in 1996. He has special interests in adult psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and psychogenomics. He has served as medical director of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence from 1986 to 1999.
"With the advent of the genomics and proteomics revolution and the pace of advances in medicine, informed collaborative relationships between knowledgeable, capable health professionals and informed, proactive individuals and their families are more vital than ever," he said.
"I'm optimistic that our Internet health education activities will contribute to ever-improving health outcomes for all who participate and apply what is learned."
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Question
Antipsychotic medications: Is weight gain inevitable?
Why do antipsychotic medications, such as quetiapine (Seroquel), cause weight gain? Is there anything you can do to counteract this effect?
Answer
from Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
Weight gain is a well-recognized side effect of antipsychotic medications, especially "atypical" antipsychotics, such as quetiapine (Seroquel), olanzapine (Zyprexa) and risperidone (Risperdal). The cause of such weight gain isn't fully understood. But it is likely that genetics and biochemical changes in the brain caused by antipsychotic medications play a role.
Some people who gain weight when taking antipsychotic medications may have inherited a particular gene variant that makes them more susceptible to antipsychotic-induced obesity. Animal studies also suggest that antipsychotics increase the activity of an appetite-regulating enzyme called AMPK. In addition, some researchers question whether certain antipsychotic medications may impair the body's ability to use insulin (insulin resistance).
If you gain weight after starting an antipsychotic medication, discuss this with your doctor. Do not stop taking your medication.
In many cases, such weight gain can be managed with dietary changes and increased physical activity. However, a 2008 study from China indicates that treatment with the diabetes drug metformin in addition to dietary changes and increased physical activity may be effective in reversing or reducing weight gain in some people who take antipsychotic medications. In addition, some antipsychotics are more likely than are others to cause weight gain, so it may be possible to switch to a different medication.
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