No Weight Gain Among Elderly Schizophrenia Patients After 1 Year of Risperidone Treatment

Objective: Weight gain has been reported in younger patients treated with most atypical neuroleptics. The goal of this study was to examine whether elderly schizophrenic patients gain weight while being treated with risperidone.

Method: Data are from an international multicenter, open-label study of 180 elderly (69 men, 111 women), chronically ill, psychotic patients (meeting DSM-III-R criteria for schizophrenia or schizophreniform disorder; median age = 72 years [range, 54-89 years]), 97 of whom completed the 12-month study. At endpoint, the mean dose of risperidone was 3.7 mg/day. Patients were weighed at baseline and at endpoint.

Results: There was no significant weight gain in patients who completed the trial (N = 96) or in those who did not complete the entire trial (N = 31).

Conclusion: The results suggest that risperidone treatment is not associated with weight gain among elderly persons with chronic psychosis.