Zonegran (zonisamide) helps bipolar disease and causes weight loss of 19.8 lbs after one year

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Tuesday, June 28, 2005 4:41 am Email this article
Zonegran (zonisamide) improves depression and mania in people with bipolar disease (manic-depression) and causes an average weight loss of 19.8 pounds after one year according to a new study. Average weight loss

The average weight loss was:

• 1.8 pounds after 1 month (44 of 56 patient completed)
• 2.4 lbs after 2 months (38 of 56 patient completed)
• 11.6 lbs after 6 months (15 of 56 patient completed)
• 19.8 lbs after 12 months (1 year) (6 of 56 patient completed)

Note: This is not unusual for 80 percent or more of patients to drop out of studies that last for a year such as in diet drug studies.

80% showed improvement in symptoms

Eighty percent of patients showed moderate improvement in their bipolar symptoms, while one-third (33%) showed marked improvement.

One-third showed worsening of symptoms

One-third of patients (32 percent) stopped the drug because of a worsening of mood.

Average dose was 249 mg per day

Zonegran (zonisamide) was started at a dose of 100 mg per day and increased 100 mg per day every week, as necessary, to a maximum dose of 800 mg per day.

The average dose Zonegran (zonisamide) was 249 mg per day, only about half as much as given in the study to treat binge eating (563 mg per day).

8% dropped out due to side effects

Only 8 percent of patients—5 of 55—dropped out of the study due to side effects.

This is a much lower percentage of dropouts than in the study which tested Zonegran (zonisamide) for binge eating disorder where nearly half the patients—7 of 15—dropped out due to side effects.

I assume this is because the average dose was only about half as much in this study (249 mg per day versus 563 mg per day).

REFERENCE

McElroy SL, Suppes T, Keck PJ, Black D, Frye M, Altshuler L, Nolen W, Kupka R, Leverich G, Walden J, Grunze H, Post R. Open-label adjunctive zonisamide in the treatment of bipolar disorders: a prospective trial. J Clin Psychiatry. 2005 May, 66(5):617-24.

AUTHOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION

Susan L. McElroy, M.D.
Division of Clinical Neuroscience
Department of Psychiatry
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
P.O. Box 670559
231 Albert Sabin Way
Cincinnati, OH 45267-0559, USA
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