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Meta-Analysis
. 2018 Jan;46(1):22-32.
doi: 10.1177/0300060517716783. Epub 2017 Jul 18.

Effect of adjunctive ranitidine for antipsychotic-induced weight gain: A systematic review of randomized placebo-controlled trials

Xiao-Jing Gu  1 , Rui Chen  2 , Chen-Hui Sun  3 , Wei Zheng  4 , Xin-Hu Yang  4 , Shi-Bin Wang  5 , Gabor S Ungvari  6   7 , Chee H Ng  8 , Andrei Golenkov  9 , Grace K I Lok  5 , Lu Li  5 , Ines H I Chow  5 , Fei Wang  5 , Yu-Tao Xiang  5
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effect of adjunctive ranitidine for antipsychotic-induced weight gain: A systematic review of randomized placebo-controlled trials

Xiao-Jing Gu et al. J Int Med Res. 2018 Jan.

Abstract

This study was a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of ranitidine as an adjunct for antipsychotic-induced weight gain in patients with schizophrenia. RCTs reporting weight gain or metabolic side effects in patients with schizophrenia were included. Case reports/series, non-randomized or observational studies, reviews, and meta-analyses were excluded. The primary outcome measures were body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2) and body weight (kg). Four RCTs with five study arms were identified and analyzed. Compared with the control group, adjunctive ranitidine was associated with marginally significant reductions in BMI and body weight. After removing an outlier study for BMI, the effect of ranitidine remained significant. Adjunctive ranitidine outperformed the placebo in the negative symptom score of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Although ranitidine was associated with less frequent drowsiness, other adverse events were similar between the two groups. Adjunctive ranitidine appears to be an effective and safe option for reducing antipsychotic-induced weight gain and improving negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Larger RCTs are warranted to confirm these findings. Trial registration PROSPERO: CRD42016039735.

Keywords: Schizophrenia; antipsychotics; meta-analysis; negative symptom; ranitidine; weight gain.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
PRISMA flow diagram. RCT, randomized controlled trial.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Ranitidine for antipsychotic-induced weight gain: Forest plot for changes in body weight and body mass index. BMI, body mass index; SD, standard deviation; IV, interval variance; CI, confidence interval.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Ranitidine for antipsychotic-induced weight gain: Forest plot for clinical efficacy assessed by changes in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) score. SD, standard deviation; IV, interval variance; CI, confidence interval.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Ranitidine for antipsychotic-induced weight gain: Forest plot for adverse drug reactions. MH, Mantel–Haenszel.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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