Severe weight gain after 4-year treatment with aripiprazole in a young man with schizophrenia

Abstract

Schizophrenia is one of the major problems of modern psychiatry. Due to its chronic nature, it requires continuous treatment with antipsychotics. Weight gain is one of the major side-effects associated with the pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia. Aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic with a relatively good metabolic profile; there are very few published cases of aripiprazole-induced weight gain. We present a case of significant (50 kg) weight gain during a 4-year treatment with aripiprazole in a 21-year-old Caucasian man with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. The mechanism underlying aripiprazole-induced weight gain may be associated with its potent binding to serotonin 5-HT2C receptor. This case confirms the significance of patient monitoring in antipsychotic therapy.