title: The long-term effect of quetiapine (Seroquel TM ) monotherapy on weight in patients with schizophrenia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Quetiapine (Seroquel TM ) is an atypical antipsychoticdrug with demonstrated efficacy and tolerability. In particular, placebo-level extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) across the entire dose range and a low propensity to cause sexual dysfunction suggest it may be associated with greater patient acceptability than alternative treatments. However, other side-effects, such as weight gain, may also have a significant impact on treatment acceptability.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report the long-term weight changes observed in a cohort of 427 patients with schizophrenia from controlled and open-label extension (OLE) trials, in which quetiapine (mean dose 475 mg/day after 1 year) was the only antipsychotic medication during the OLE period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In these patients, there was no overall effect on weight across the body mass index (BMI) spectrum. There were no dose-related effects on weight, and only one patient withdrew from treatment due to an adverse event of weight gain. Quetiapine appeared to have a weightneutral or 'normalizing' effect, with a tendency towards favourable shifts in bodyweight in underweight patients (BMI<18.5 kg/m 2 ) and severely obese patients (BMI>35 kg/m 2 ).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that long-term weight changes with quetiapine monotherapy are minimal and potentially beneficial, and do not appear to raise the medical concerns associated with some other atypical agents.
authors.affiliation: Astrazeneca, Wilmington, DE, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brecher
authors.forename: I W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Rak
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Melvin
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Jones
keywords: Atypical Antipsychotics Schizophrenia Body Mass Index Quetiapine Weight Gain Long-TERM Therapy