Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology
-
J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol · Mar 2019
Comparative Study Observational StudyWeight-Change Trajectories of Pediatric Outpatients Treated with Risperidone or Aripiprazole in a Naturalistic Setting.
Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) increase appetite and weight, leading toward a metabolic syndrome. Risperidone and aripiprazole, the most widely used pediatric SGAs, have been studied predominantly in short-term clinical trials, where risperidone leads to a rapid weight increase and aripiprazole to a slower one, while long-term effects are not yet elucidated. Factors that may influence weight gain are likewise not clarified, although baseline weight, previous SGA exposure, pubertal status, and type of SGA have been suggested as moderators. We analyzed weight gain induced by risperidone and aripiprazole in a sample of pediatric outpatients enrolled into a 2-year observational study. ⋯ Children were at risk of weight gain more than adolescents, for both risperidone and, of note, aripiprazole. Adolescents and patients with long previous drug exposure tend to reach stable BMI-Z, although in the range between excessive weight and obesity.