Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30382354›Full record

Trial reportPsychopharmacology2018

Betahistine effects on weight-related measures in patients treated with antipsychotic medications: a double-blind placebo-controlled study.

Robert C Smith, Lawrence Maayan, Renrong Wu, Mary Youssef, Zhihui Jing, Henry Sershen, Victoria Szabo, Jordan Meyers, Hua Jin, Jinping Zhao and 1 more

Abstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Psychopharmacology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Trial
  5. Pontine infarction isolated to trigeminal sensory fibers: a case report.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
  6. Review
  7. Analysis of clinical studies on clozapine from 2012-2022.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2024
    Review
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  10. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.

Robert C SmithNathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA. Robert.Smith@nki.rfmh.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4933-4162
Lawrence MaayanAlbany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA.
Renrong WuDepartment of Psychiatry, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, and Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Mary YoussefHarlem Hospital, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Zhihui JingDepartment of Psychiatry, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, and Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Henry SershenNathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
Victoria SzaboNathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
Jordan MeyersOregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
Hua JinUniversity of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, San Diego, and VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
Jinping ZhaoDepartment of Psychiatry, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, and Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
John M DavisPsychiatric Institute University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois and John Hopkins University Medical School, Baltimore, USA.
Central South University · CNNathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research · USAlbany Medical Center Hospital · USHarlem Hospital Center · USOregon Health & Science University · USUniversity of California San Diego · USUniversity of Illinois Chicago · US

Funding

Stanley Foundation 07TGF-1112
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

rationaleWeight gain during treatment with antipsychotics is a prominent side-effect, especially with some second-generation antipsychotics, such as olanzapine and clozapine, and pharmacological treatments which ameliorate this side-effect are important to investigate. Decreases in histaminergic transmission in the brain induced by antipsychotics may be one of the mechanisms contributing to weight gain. Since betahistine is a histaminergic agonist, it may potentially counteract the weight gain effects of antipsychotics.

methodWe conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled study to evaluate the effects of 12 weeks of treatment with betahistine (N = 29) or placebo (N = 22) in adolescents and adults on anthropomorphically measured weight-related parameters, appetite, and fasting glucose-lipid and leptin levels in 51 patients treated with first and/or second-generation antipsychotics who had gained weight during treatment or had high body-mass-index (BMI). Psychopathology and side-effects were also assessed with relevant scales.

resultsIn a sub-group of patients being treated with olanzapine or clozapine (n = 26), betahistine was significantly (P < .05) better than placebo in preventing increases in weight (3.1 kg less weight gain than placebo), BMI, and waist circumference. Betahistine did not decrease weight or BMI in patients treated with other antipsychotics. There was also no effect of betahistine on preventing weight or BMI gain in the total combined sample of all subjects. Betahistine did not significantly improve appetite or glucose-lipid measures in either subgroup. There were no significant differences in side-effects or psychopathology changes in the betahistine- vs. placebo-treated patients.

conclusionsThese results suggest that betahistine may potentially be a useful adjunctive drug for decreasing weight gain in patients treated with antipsychotics that are potent histamine antagonists, such as olanzapine or clozapine, but may not be useful for this purpose in patients on other antipsychotic medications. The results justify larger placebo-controlled studies to further confirm these effects before specific recommendations can be made for routine use.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAntipsychotic AgentsBetahistineBody Mass IndexBody WeightChildClozapineDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHistamine AgonistsHumansMaleOlanzapineSchizophreniaTreatment OutcomeAntipsychotic AgentsBetahistineClozapineHistamine AgonistsOlanzapineAntipsychotic medicationBetahistineBMILeptinWeight

Identifiers

PMID30382354
OpenAlexW2899237157

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.