These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Betahistine decreases olanzapine-induced weight gain and somnolence in humans.
    Author: Barak N, Beck Y, Albeck JH.
    Journal: J Psychopharmacol; 2016 Mar; 30(3):237-41. PubMed ID: 26839321.
    Abstract:
    Olanzapine's efficacy in schizophrenia is attributed to antagonism of dopamine and serotonin receptors. Olanzapine is also a potent histamine-H1 antagonist that results in weight gain and somnolence. Betahistine is a centrally acting histamine-H1 agonist, and therefore may reduce olanzapine's effect on histamine receptors in the brain. Olanzapine's high affinity for the histamine-H1 receptor warrants the use of high doses of betahistine. Forty-eight healthy women were recruited and randomized to receive either betahistine 144 mg/day or matching placebo for 4 weeks. Due to the high dose of betahistine, olanzapine was started only on the second week and titrated up to 10 mg/day, and co-administration continued for an additional 2 weeks. Only nominal differences in adverse events were noted between the treatment groups. Betahistine caused a 37% reduction in mean weight gain (1.24 kg in the betahistine arm vs. 1.93 kg in the placebo arm; p=.049) and 60% reduction in the mean increase in daytime Epworth sleepiness scores (1.82 units in the betahistine group vs. 3.57 units in the placebo group; p=.042). The present study suggests that betahistine-olanzapine co-administration, in healthy female subjects, yields an acceptable safety profile with mitigation of weight gain and somnolence. This should be further tested in a patient cohort.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]