Abstract
Background-Inspite of their superiority over first generation antipsychotics to improve the quality of patients’ life by controling both positive as well as negative symptoms SGAs are critisised for extra risk of cardiovascular diseases by dint of their metabolic derangements. Objectives: to compare the metabolic derangement resulting from Aripiprazole and olanzapine therapy. Methodology- an open label randomized controlled trial was carried out for one year among schizophrenia patients attending psychiatry OPD of R G Kar Medical College. After obtaining consent equal number of male and female diagnosed schizophrenia patients were allocated into two study arms i.e. aripiprazole and olanzapine groups by “randomization by minimizationâ€. Baseline information was assembled by interview, clinical examination and record review using a predesigned questionnaire followed by laboratory investigation at Biochemistry department. Same set of information was collected in similar fashion during follow up visits scheduled at 6 weeks and 12 weeks. Results: at 12 weeks the aripiprazole group showed increase only in BMI and TC among 7.5% and 22.5% of patients with average weight loss by 1.78±0.83 kg (mean±sd). Olanzapine group showed average increase in Weight: 8.91±3.4 kg, BMI: 4.53±1.74 kg/m2, FPG: 33.63±13.83, TC: 18.03±39.49, TG: 23.68±21.08, HDL: -6.51±6.22, LDL: 30.42±31.64. The hike in MeS was from 7.5% to 7.5% i.e. nil in gr.1 compared to 12.5% to 57.5% in olanzapine group. Conclusion: regarding metabolic effects Olanzapine came out to be inferior to aripiprazole. So prescribing of it demands physicians’ skill for judicial patient’s selection, dose determination and purposeful follow up investigations to detect early change for necessary therapeutic measures. Key-words: atypical anti-psychotics, metabolic derangement, metabolic syndrome