Risperidone weight gain from

Comparative studies In a meta-analysis of 48 studies clozapine produced statistically significantly more weight gain (from baseline to end-point, 2-6 months) than risperidone (mean difference=2.86 kg n = 459 in... 

Risperidone and haloperidol In a 24-week study (12-week double-blind and 12-week open), 28 children and adolescents with autistic disorder were treated either with risperidone (mean age 10 years n = 13) or haloperidol (mean age 11 years n = 15), both in doses of 0.01-0.08 mg/kg/day [121 j. There were significant mean weight gains from baseline to end-point (4.2 kg with risperidone and 6.3 kg with haloperidol). However, there were no significant differences in weight and prolactin concentrations between the two groups at end-point. 

Risperidone can be administered once or twice daily in doses ranging from 2 to 6mg/day. Risperidone is well tolerated with comparatively few mild side effects. It can cause drowsiness, weight gain, dizziness, nausea, indigestion, diarrhea, and sexual dysfunction. Finally, risperidone does not increase the risk for agranulocytosis or seizures. 

A 9-year-old boy with autism and overactivity was unresponsive to several drugs. Risperidone 0.5 mg bd was effective, reducing his Aberrant Behavior Checklist score from 103 to 57 by the end of the first week. Four weeks later his weight had risen from 34.6 to 37 kg. This rate of weight gain (0.6 kg/week) continued over the next 12 weeks. His weight was then contained by the use of the Zone diet, with an emphasis on slowly absorbed carbohydrates (examples include apples,... 

There was weight gain of 17% (mean 5.6 kg) after risperidone treatment for 6 months in 63 autistic children and adolescents (mean age 8.6 years), taken from an initial sample of 101 outpatients this gain exceeded the developmentally expected norms and decelerated over time (1046). Body mass index increased by 10.6% (mean... 

Clozapine has also been compared with risperidone in 60 treatment-resistant patients with schizophrenia in India (16). There was clinical improvement (a more than 20% reduction from baseline PANSS scale scores) in 80% of the clozapine-treated patients and 67% of the risperidone-treated patients. The predominant adverse effects with clozapine (n = 30) were tachycardia (77%), hypersalivation (60%), sedation (60%), weight gain (43%), and constipation (30%) one patient had a seizure. The adverse effects of risperidone (n = 30) were constipation (50%), dry mouth (47%), weight gain (43%), akathisia (37%), insomnia (33%), tachycardia (30%), and impotence (27%). The final mean daily doses after 16 weeks of treatment were 343 mg for clozapine and 5.8 mg for risperidone. 

In a 6-month multicenter study in 96 manic patients (mean age 41 years 50% women) who took risperidone monotherapy 4.2 mg/day, 16 withdrew from the study, in four cases because of adverse events akathisia, impotence, drowsiness, and weight gain (28). 

Risperidone has been assessed in children with autistic disorder and disruptive behavior in a multicenter, two-part, open study (221). Part one consisted of a 4-month open phase in 63 children (aged 5-17 years 49 boys) taking risperidone 2.0 mg/day of the 12 dropouts, five were due to loss of efficacy and one to an adverse event (constipation) there was a mean weight gain of 5.1 kg, which was significantly greater than expected from developmental norms. Part two was a randomized, doubleblind study in which risperidone was either substituted by placebo (n = 16) or continued (n = 16) there were more relapses in those who took placebo (n = 10) than in... 

Observational studies An open-label, long-term study of patients switched to oral paliperidone from either risperidone or other antipsychotics found that extrapyramidal symptoms improved significantly for all patients [192 ]. Akathisia and weight gain were the main adverse events, and increased prolactin levels in female patients from the nonrisperidone group. 

---