Excessive
body weight gain is an undesirable side effect of prolonged administration of
antipsychotic drugs (AP), which affects health and interferes with treatment compliance. It has been suggested that
hyperprolactinemia-induced endocrine and metabolic abnormalities, particularly in the gonadal
steroids, might be involved in the development of this type of
weight gain. To test this hypothesis, reproductive
hormones,
cortisol, dehydro-
epiandrosterone-sulfate (
DHEA-S),
thyroid hormones, and
body weight gain were assessed in 18 patients (9 men, 9 women) with
mental disorders receiving AP who had been medication-free for at least 3 months before the study, and in 27 placebo-treated subjects (10 men, 17 women). In women,
hormones were evaluated during several phases of the menstrual cycle. A significant
weight gain was observed in men but not in women. Under AP administration, women displayed significantly lower serum levels of
estradiol and
progesterone, whereas in men the levels of free
testosterone and
DHEA-S were significantly lower than in controls.
Hyperprolactinemia was observed in both sexes. The levels of
follicle-stimulating hormone in women and
luteinizing hormone in men were significantly elevated by treatment, thus suggesting that the functioning of the hypothalamus-pituitary gonads was preserved. In men, such an endocrine profile resembles that observed in subjects with primary
obesity. Women under AP administration were found to be relatively hyperandrogenic because of decreased serum
estradiol levels, whereas women with primary
obesity are known to display actual increased levels of
androgens. These endocrine abnormalities may contribute to the excessive
weight gain observed after AP treatment, and these could be the target of novel pharmacological treatments.