A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind Study of the Effects of Aripiprazole in Overweight Subjects With Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder Switched From Olanzapine

Effectiveness of Lurasidone in Patients with Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder Switched From Other Antipsychotics

“…1 Lurasidone may thus be a logical antipsychotic to switch to in the presence of antipsychotic-associated weight gain. Switching to an agent with lower metabolic liability, a strategy suggested in the Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT) recommendations, 29 has previously been supported by switch studies with agents such as ziprasidone 11 and aripiprazole, 10,30 as well as by the Phase 2T report from the CATIE trials. 31 As noted in reports of switching studies with other agents, a concern has been that switching patients from one antipsychotic to another can lead to tolerability problems, transient symptom exacerbations, or increased use of acute-care services.…”

Prevention of Metabolic Syndrome in Serious Mental Illness

“…Several recent studies have indeed shown that a significant proportion of patients might show improvement in metabolic syndrome components after such a switch. Reductions in body weight and lipids occurred when patients were switched from olanzapine or risperidone to ziprasidone, 67 from olanzapine to aripiprazole, 68 or from aripiprazole to usual care (ie, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone). 69 Effect sizes of weight loss and metabolic improvements are in line with what can be expected from an adjunct pharmacological weight loss intervention.…”

Metabolic risk factor profile in patients on treatment with second generation antipsychotics

“…[2][3] Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder are associated with an increased risk for obesity related cardiovascular mortality. 4 In psychosis there is reduced central serotoninergic neurotransmission that results in increased food intake and weight gain and can contribute to increased storage of fat (in visceral adipose tissue) which leads to dyslipidaemia, hypertension, and increased risk for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and is, therefore, a key factor in the development of cardiovascular disease and associated mortality and morbidity. [5][6] Framingham Heart study confirmed that in patients with obesity, diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia, there is increased risk of cardiovascular disease and it has also been suggested to occur at a higher frequency in patients with Schizophrenia than in the general population (about 1.5 to 2 times greater).…”