Metformin for the Prevention of Weight Gain due to Atypical Antipsychotics

Excessive weight gain, hyperglycemia, type 2 diabetes and hyperlipidemia are significant clinical adverse effects that appear as a result of the treatment with second generation atypical antipsychotic drugs. These drugs possibly cause weight gain by stimulating appetite and increasing insulin resistance. Amantadine, nizatidine, ranitidine, famotidine, topiramate, reboxetine and metformin are notified as the effective drugs which were used in order to prevent the weight gain due to atypical antipsychotic drugs. As an antidiabetic agent, metformin draws attention due to reducing weight gain and correcting insulin resistance. The aim of this paper was to evaluate studies searching fort he effect of metformin on weight-gain due to atypical antipsychotics.