Incidence of Weight Gain and Hyper Lipidemia with a Typical Antipsychotic Treatment: A Prospective Community Based Clinical Study

Atypical Antipsychotic (AAPS) have been found to be effective in various psychiatric conditions however evidence of treatment, emergent weight gain and hyperlipidemia limit their clinical benefits. Objective: To determine the incidence of treatment emergent weight gain and hyperlipidemia with atypical antipsychotics. Method: Patients with schizophrenic and non-schizophrenic conditions were randomly started on AAPS .Weight, BMI, triglycerides were measured every 3 months from the base line for one year. 121 enrolled, 119 completed the one year follow up study. Male : 69; Female: 50; Olanzapine: 51; Risperidone: 59; Quetiapine: 8; Clozapine: 1. Data Analysis: Descriptive and inferential analysis was carried out except Clozapine to examine the effects on weight, BMI and triglycerides. Limitataions: Polypharmacy and ethnicity were not considered. conclusion: The results show that atypical antipsychotic do affect weight, BMI and Triglycerides in varying degree and in relation to age, gender and disease which has significant clinical implications that warrant close monitoring with ongoing education on life style, diet and exercise in a heuristic manner.