Weight Gain and Antipsychotics

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Sir: The recent (November 2004) Commentary by Kaneet al.¹ provides readers with a comprehensive overview of thecurrent situation with regard to the controversy surroundingthe association of adverse metabolic effects with atypical antipsychoticdrugs. The discussion reported in the Commentarywas a response to a recently published consensus statement,²as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s suggestedchanges to labeling, and was intended to advise clinicians howthese recommendations may affect their clinical practice.The panel of experts correctly identify the important areasof uncertainty related to this topic, and they highlight the needfor further rigorous studies designed to examine the differentialeffects of individual atypical agents.