Abstract

DOES FAMOTIDINE CAN PREVENT THE OLANZAPINE-INDUCED WEIGHT GAIN IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS?

Seyyed Mohammad Ghaffari, Hatam Boostani, Arman Zarghami*,
Mohammad Reza Haghdoust

Abstract

Introduction: One of the most important concerns of schizophrenic patients that use the drug olanzapine, is side effect of weight gain and in some cases, the patient is obliged to refrain from the use of this drug. One of the drugs raised as a potential treatment for this condition is famotidine. Therefore, this study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of famotidine in the process of weight changes of schizophrenic patients in a randomized clinical trial. Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical double-blind and placebocontrolled trial was conducted on 44 patients in the two groups include the famotidine and olanzapine group (n = 22) and the placebo and olanzapine group (n = 22). Patients ' weight and BMI were measured at baseline and 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks after it. Then, data were analyzed using the SPSS version 14. Results: In both groups the weight and BMI in patients taking olanzapine increased during the study and the eighth week of the start of treatment. Although the trend of this increase in the additive famotidine group was significantly slower than the placebo. None of the patients showed a side effect of famotidine. Conclusion: Adding famotidine medication to the treatment process of olanzapine in patients with schizophrenia significantly reduces the effect of weight gain during use in patients.

Keywords: Famotidine; Olanzapine; weight gain.