Children and adolescents, 4- to 19-years-old, given Zyprexa (olanzapine) gained an average of 18.7 lbs in less than 3 months (11 weeks) according to a new study published in JAMA. 

Children and adolescents, 4- to 19-years-old, given Seroquel (Quetiapine Fumarate) gained an average of 13.4 lbs in less than 3 months (11 weeks) according to a new study published in JAMA. 

Children and adolescents, 4- to 19-years-old, given Risperdal (Risperidone) gained an average of 11.7 lbs in less than 3 months (11 weeks) according to a new study published in JAMA. 

Children and adolescents, 4- to 19-years-old, given Abilify (aripiprazole) gained an average of 11.7 lbs in less than 3 months (11 weeks) according to a new study published in JAMA. 

Gwen Olsen, author of “Confessions of an RX Drug Pusher”, who worked as a sales representative for the drug companies for 15 years calling on doctors, tells how she was addicted to the anti-anxiety drug Xanax (alprazolam) for 10 years.

She also says that after stopping Xanax, she experienced withdrawal symptoms for 6 months.

Gwen Olsen, author of “Confessions of an RX Drug Pusher”, who worked as a sales representative for the drug companies for 15 years calling on doctors, notes that all psychiatric drugs can cause withdrawal symptoms which are often worse than the initial condition.

Traditional psychiatrists will often tell you that that you are having “rebound anxiety” or “rebound depression” or “rebound psychosis”, and that you need to take these drugs forever and will never be normal without them, but this is not true Gwen notes.

The withdrawal, according to Gwen, is your body trying to detoxify from these drugs.

Gwen Olsen, author of “Confessions of an RX Drug Pusher”, who worked as a sales representative for the drug companies for 15 years calling on doctors, states that you should NEVER stop a psychiatric drug on your own.

You should ALWAYS be supervised by a health care professional because stopping these drugs will often cause withdrawal symptoms such as “rebound anxiety” or “rebound depression” or “rebound psychosis”.

Gwen Olsen, author of “Confessions of an RX Drug Pusher”, who worked as a sales representative for the drug companies for 15 years calling on doctors, suggests looking for an alternative doctor or a doctor who is involved in “Integrative Care” to supervise withdrawal of psychiatric drugs.

She says that traditional psychiatrists are opposed to this because many psychiatrists have a vested interest in giving patients drugs.

The antipsychotic drug Risperdal (risperidone) causes women to gain an average of 14.7 pounds in five years, and men to gain an average of 6.6 pounds according to a study from the Karolinska Institutet at the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden.

Metformin prevented additional weight gain in children who had gained 10 percent or more in less than a year while taking the antipsychotic drugs Zyprexa (olanzapine), Risperdal (risperidone) or Seroquel (quetiapine) according to a study from researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Those given a placebo gained an average of 9 pounds, while those given metformin did not gain an additional weight.

Among schizophrenic patients on antipsychotic drugs who had gain an average of 54 pounds in less than six years, the average weight gain associated with various drugs was as follows. Zyprexa (olanzapine) was associated with an average weight gain of 57 pounds, Risperdal (risperidone) 55 pounds, Clozapine 54 pounds, and Geodon (ziprasidone) 35 pounds. 

Many antipsychotic drugs can cause considerable weight gain. An intense program of diet, exercise and counseling helped 17 chronically psychotic patients to lose an average of 13.2 pounds in six months according to a study from the Harvard Medical School in Belmont, Massachusetts.

Seroquel (quetiapine) causes an average weight gain of 7 percent or more in patients with schizophrenia or psychosis in 56 percent of patients according to a large, ongoing study of patients as noted in a new review paper about drugs that cause weight gain.

Zyprexa (olanzapine) causes a 7 percent weight gain or more in 40 percent of patients according to a new review paper about drugs that cause weight gain.

Zyprexa (olanzapine) caused an average weight gain of 7.9 percent in patients with bipolar disorder (manic-depression) after an average time on the drug of 2 years and 5 months according to a new review paper about drugs that cause weight gain.

Zyprexa (olanzapine) caused an average weight gain of 20.4 pounds in schizophrenic patients after an average time on the drug of 1 year and 10 months according to a new review paper about drugs that cause weight gain.

The antipsychotic drug Risperdal (risperidone) causes a 7 percent weight gain or more in 37 percent of patients according to a new review paper about drugs that cause weight gain.

Clozapine, an antipsychotic drug, causes an average weight gain of 5.3 pounds, but weight changes vary widely among individuals, ranging from a weight loss of 38.5 pounds and a weight gain of 28.4 pounds according to a new review paper about drugs that cause weight gain.

Below is a chart comparing weight gain during the first two-and-a-half months from various antipsychotic drugs.

Many antipsychotic drugs are associated with weight gain. Solian (amisulpride), Geodon (ziprasidone), and Abilify (aripiprazole) are associated with weight gains of less than 4.4 pounds, however, Zyprexa (olanzapine) has been associated with a large weight gain of between 8.8 and 22 pounds according to a paper from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

The antipsychotic drug Clozaril (clozapine) caused a pair of female twins to gain over 100 pounds in 5.5 years according to a report out of Germany.

Schizophrenic patients given Abilify (aripiprazole) lost 3 pounds in six months compared to a weight gain of 9.4 pounds in patients given Zyprexa (olanzapine) according to a new study.

A weight gain of 22-pound from the use of the antipsychotic drug clozapine might cause as many deaths as lives saved from suicide according to a recent paper from researchers at University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The United States Federal Drug and Food Administration defines weight gain related to any given drug as an increase of 7 percent of bodyweight. Based on this definition, one study reported that a 7 percent weight gain was observed in 29 percent of patients treated with Zyprexa (olanzapine), 25 percent treated with Seroquel (quetiapine), 18 percent with Risperdal (risperidone), and 9.8 percent treated with Geodon (ziprasidone).

There is a case report of a person who gained 95 pounds in a year-and-two-months when put on the antipsychotic drug Clozaril (clozapine).