Have you ever experienced weight gain after using drugs for a psychiatric illness? If so, this clinical trial may offer you some interesting insights.
A clinical trial was conducted recently to assess whether adding probiotics and dietary fiber to the diets of people suffering from psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia, could help prevent weight gain due to the use of antipsychotic medication such as olanzapine.
Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder that affects a person's ability to think, feel, and behave. Schizophrenia may result in symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior. These symptoms can impair daily functioning and can be disabling.
Schizophrenia and other psychiatric illnesses require lifelong treatment. One of the common medications used to treat schizophrenia is olanzapine, which is known to cause weight gain. This weight gain can lead to several health problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. In addition, this weight gain can also negatively affect the mental health and self-image of the patient which can lower the patient’s confidence. Therefore, finding ways to mitigate olanzapine-induced weight gain is essential.
A recent clinical trial published in the Schizophrenia Bulletin suggests that a combination of probiotics and dietary fiber supplements can help reduce weight gain in schizophrenia patients taking olanzapine.
The clinical study conducted two randomized clinical trials with a total of 150 patients, all of whom were diagnosed with schizophrenia. The participants were assigned to multiple groups which contained patients taking olanzapine alone, olanzapine plus probiotics, and olanzapine plus probiotics and dietary fiber.