The effect of famotidine addition on olanzapine-induced weight gain in first-episode schizophrenia patients: a double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study.

Author(s): Poyurovsky M, Tal V, Maayan R, Gil-Ad I, Fuchs C, Weizman A

Affiliation(s): Research Unit, Tirat Carmel Mental Health Center, 9 Eshkol Street, 30200 Tirat Carmel, Israel. tyrmichael@matat.health.gov.il

Publication date & source: 2004-08, Eur Neuropsychopharmacol., 14(4):332-6.

Publication type: Clinical Trial; Randomized Controlled Trial

Olanzapine treatment is associated with substantial weight gain. In this double-blind placebo-controlled study we evaluated whether the H2 antagonist famotidine may prevent/attenuate olanzapine-induced weight gain. Fourteen first-episode DSM-IV schizophrenia patients were randomly allocated to receive either famotidine (40 mg/day, n=7) or placebo (n=7) in addition to olanzapine (10 mg/day) for 6 weeks. All patients completed the trial. Patients in both groups showed a similar increase in body weight (olanzapine/famotidine: 4.8 (3.2) kg and olanzapine/placebo: 4.9 (1.6) kg, respectively; a between-group difference of 0.14 (1.3) kg). Four of seven (57.1%) patients in the olanzapine/famotidine group and three of seven (42.9%) in the olanzapine/placebo group gained at least 7% of their initial body weight, a cut-off for clinically significant weight gain. Famotidine addition was safe and well tolerated and did not interfere with olanzapine's therapeutic effect. In conclusion, famotidine (40 mg/day for 6 weeks) is not effective in preventing/attenuating weight gain in olanzapine-treated first-episode schizophrenia patients.