Quetiapine-related weight loss: Report of a rare adverse effect
Quetiapine is a second-generation antipsychotic that has been reported to be associated with moderate weight gain. Nevertheless, weight loss that is an infrequent adverse effect of quetiapine has been reported in a few cases of patients who were ab initio started on quetiapine or who gained weight d...
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Edizioni FS
2018-07-01
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| Series: | Journal of Health and Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | http://journalhss.com/wp-content/uploads/jhss32_185-190.pdf |
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| author | Nicodemus Okwudili K Obayi David HN Nweke Edidiong Idio Darlington Okey Cletus Ozibo |
| author_facet | Nicodemus Okwudili K Obayi David HN Nweke Edidiong Idio Darlington Okey Cletus Ozibo |
| author_sort | Nicodemus Okwudili K Obayi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Quetiapine is a second-generation antipsychotic that has been reported to be associated with moderate weight gain. Nevertheless, weight loss that is an infrequent adverse effect of quetiapine has been reported in a few cases of patients who were ab initio started on quetiapine or who gained weight during previous antipsychotic treatment but who lost weight when shifted to quetiapine. We report the case of a 28-year old quarry worker being treated for bipolar affective disorder. Due to unbearable muscle rigidity, she was switched from haloperidol to olanzapine. She gained about 26 kg over 12 months. Her repeated complaints about the weight gain and threats to stop all medications if nothing was done led to her being switched over to quetiapine. Within two months of this switch-over, she gained 1 kg before she gradually started losing weight and by the sixth month, she dropped from 85 kg to 67 kg despite eating well. Unsatisfied with the weight loss, she was switched to aripiprazole. Over few months, she gained up to 3 kg. She had remained mentally stable and functional, and also maintained roughly 70 kg over a year. Though weight gain could occur in virtually every antipsychotic, weight loss has been recorded in very few cases. The mechanism by which quetiapine causes weight loss is not certain. Some proposed mechanisms include paradoxical suppression of appetite, induction of deterioration in insulin resistance, induction of hypoglycaemia, as well as mere switching from a high-risk to a low-risk antipsychotic. Our patient had different experiences with three atypical antipsychotics: she gained excessive weight with olanzapine, lost significant weight with quetiapine, and maintained a normal weight with aripiprazole. Weight changes should be monitored on patients taking antipsychotics. Most of the time clinicians are concerned about weight gain but not weight loss. We recommend that clinicians should pay attention to weight loss as well. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-77df6f41773048948d72958a54163c7b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2499-2240 2499-5886 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2018-07-01 |
| publisher | Edizioni FS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Health and Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-77df6f41773048948d72958a54163c7b2025-01-18T18:20:31ZengEdizioni FSJournal of Health and Social Sciences2499-22402499-58862018-07-013218519010.19204/2018/qtpn8Quetiapine-related weight loss: Report of a rare adverse effectNicodemus Okwudili K Obayi0David HN Nweke1Edidiong Idio2Darlington Okey3Cletus Ozibo4Department of Psychiatry, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, NigeriaDepartment of Psychiatry, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, NigeriaDepartment of Psychiatry, Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, NigeriaDepartment of Psychiatry, Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, NigeriaDepartment of Psychiatry, Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, NigeriaQuetiapine is a second-generation antipsychotic that has been reported to be associated with moderate weight gain. Nevertheless, weight loss that is an infrequent adverse effect of quetiapine has been reported in a few cases of patients who were ab initio started on quetiapine or who gained weight during previous antipsychotic treatment but who lost weight when shifted to quetiapine. We report the case of a 28-year old quarry worker being treated for bipolar affective disorder. Due to unbearable muscle rigidity, she was switched from haloperidol to olanzapine. She gained about 26 kg over 12 months. Her repeated complaints about the weight gain and threats to stop all medications if nothing was done led to her being switched over to quetiapine. Within two months of this switch-over, she gained 1 kg before she gradually started losing weight and by the sixth month, she dropped from 85 kg to 67 kg despite eating well. Unsatisfied with the weight loss, she was switched to aripiprazole. Over few months, she gained up to 3 kg. She had remained mentally stable and functional, and also maintained roughly 70 kg over a year. Though weight gain could occur in virtually every antipsychotic, weight loss has been recorded in very few cases. The mechanism by which quetiapine causes weight loss is not certain. Some proposed mechanisms include paradoxical suppression of appetite, induction of deterioration in insulin resistance, induction of hypoglycaemia, as well as mere switching from a high-risk to a low-risk antipsychotic. Our patient had different experiences with three atypical antipsychotics: she gained excessive weight with olanzapine, lost significant weight with quetiapine, and maintained a normal weight with aripiprazole. Weight changes should be monitored on patients taking antipsychotics. Most of the time clinicians are concerned about weight gain but not weight loss. We recommend that clinicians should pay attention to weight loss as well.http://journalhss.com/wp-content/uploads/jhss32_185-190.pdfAntipsychoticsquetiapineswitch-overweight loss |
| spellingShingle | Nicodemus Okwudili K Obayi David HN Nweke Edidiong Idio Darlington Okey Cletus Ozibo Quetiapine-related weight loss: Report of a rare adverse effect Journal of Health and Social Sciences Antipsychotics quetiapine switch-over weight loss |
| title | Quetiapine-related weight loss: Report of a rare adverse effect |
| title_full | Quetiapine-related weight loss: Report of a rare adverse effect |
| title_fullStr | Quetiapine-related weight loss: Report of a rare adverse effect |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quetiapine-related weight loss: Report of a rare adverse effect |
| title_short | Quetiapine-related weight loss: Report of a rare adverse effect |
| title_sort | quetiapine related weight loss report of a rare adverse effect |
| topic | Antipsychotics quetiapine switch-over weight loss |
| url | http://journalhss.com/wp-content/uploads/jhss32_185-190.pdf |
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