Posted by Cam W. on February 27, 2001, at 20:00:26
In reply to Which is worse: Zyprexa weight gain or Risperdal , posted by katrina on February 27, 2001, at 19:06:26
Katrina - If you are going to gain weight with either of these agents you will have a greater chance of doing so with Zyprexa, by far. That being said, individuals will have different amounts of weight gain with either of these agents, but only Clozaril (clozapine) causes more weight gain than Zyprexa.
There are a number of factors thought to influence weight gain with Zyprexa (and Risperdal or Clozaril for that matter). It seems that the lower your Body Mass Index (BMI) or the lower your weight before taking the drug, the more propensity you will have to gain weight with Zyprexa. Also, it seems that the better your response to Zyprexa the more likely you are to gain weight.
That being said, the weight gain with Zyprexa does seem to plateau at around 8 months and you can minimize weight gain with a carefully planned diet and exercise regimen. This can be said for all of the atypical antipsychotics, except for Clozaril. It seems that no matter what interventions you use to try to keep the weight off when taking Clozaril do not seem to work.
It is also important to note that it is far easier to prevent the weight gain than it is to take the weight off, once it has been gained. A diet and exercise plan must be initiated at the start of Zyprexa therapy to minimize the amount of weight one will gain.
Most of the older, typical antipsychotics (Mellaril, chlorpromazine, etc) cause nearly as much weight gain as Zyprexa, but the problems with movement disorders (EPS or TD) that these drugs caused overshadowed any weight gain issues.
Hope this helps - Cam.
poster:Cam W.
thread:55031
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010221/msgs/55039.html