Emerging Drugs and Indications for Cardio-Metabolic Disorders in People with Severe Mental Illness

Title:Emerging Drugs and Indications for Cardio-Metabolic Disorders in People with Severe Mental Illness

Volume: 21 Issue: 23

Author(s): Youssef Kouidrat, Ali Amad and Marc De Hert

Affiliation:

Keywords: Antipsychotic-induced weight gain, bipolar disorder, cardiovascular risk, metformin, metabolic syndrome, off-label use, schizophrenia, severe mental illness.

Abstract: Patients with severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are at increased risk of developing metabolic disorders including obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. All of these comorbidities increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Different approaches, including diet and lifestyle modifications, behavioral therapy and switching antipsychotic agents, have been proposed to manage these metabolic abnormalities. However, these interventions may be insufficient, impractical or fail to counteract the metabolic dysregulation. Consequently, a variety of pharmacological agents such as antidiabetic drugs, have been studied in an attempt to reverse the weight gain and metabolic abnormalities evident in these patients. Despite a significant effect, many of these treatments are used off-label. This qualitative review focuses on pharmacological agents that could offer significant benefits in the management of cardio-metabolic disorders associated with serious mental illness.

Cite this article as:

Kouidrat Youssef, Amad Ali and De Hert Marc, Emerging Drugs and Indications for Cardio-Metabolic Disorders in People with Severe Mental Illness, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2015; 21 (23) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612821666150619093128