Aston University researchers seek participants for newly funded study into medication weight gain

• Dr Jo Howe and Professor Ian Maidment have won funding to develop interventions for weight gain caused by schizophrenia medication
• Weight gain is a common medication side effect but programmes to prevent it are lacking
• This project will involve developing a pathway with doctors, pharmacists, nurses and patients to manage and limit this side effect.

Dr Jo Howe and Professor Ian Maidment from Aston Pharmacy School have won funding for a new project to develop new ways to mitigate weight gain caused by antipsychotic medication.

Excessive weight gain is a common side effect of taking such medication. Weight gain can happen in a very short space of time and can lead to complications such as diabetes. Patients need support to manage or mitigate this, but the research undertaken by Dr Howe showed that such support is often not available.

The new funding, from Aston University’s Research Impact Fund, will enable the work to develop support programmes for people on antipsychotic medication, and Dr Howe believes that the programmes could eventually be adapted to also help people on other types of medication that cause weight gain. Two NHS trusts – based in Birmingham and Solihull, and Hampshire and Isle of Wight – are also involved in the project and several other NHS Trusts have expressed interest to join the project.

The first step in the new project will be to set up workshops and discussions with those with lived experience, both patients taking the medication and staff involved including doctors, pharmacists and nurses. The next meeting will be on 23 January 2025, taking place online, and Dr Howe is seeking participants from healthcare professions, including mental health practitioners, pharmacists, GPs, nurses, allied health professionals, psychiatrists and support workers. An in-person event for people with lived experience and their carers, as well as healthcare professionals, will take place at Aston University on 27 March 2025.

Dr Howe said:

“Many antipsychotic medications cause changes in the body that lead the person taking them to crave carbs and sugar. This is very hard to control or override with simple behavioural strategies. People may not be told that such rapid weight gain is a side effect, probably due to concerns that it would prevent them from taking their medication.”

Working with patients and key staff groups, the researchers will co-develop a pathway with steps to prevent and limit the weight gain caused by antipsychotic medications.

The new project is an extension of the REalist Synthesis Of non-pharmacologicaL interVEntions for antipsychotic-induced weight gain (RESOLVE) project, which is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The results are planned to feed into the development of national and international guidance to mitigate weight gain whilst taking antipsychotic medication.

Dr Howe said:

“This project is an exciting opportunity to address a significant gap in care for people taking antipsychotic medications. By bringing together the voices of patients and healthcare professionals, we can co-develop practical solutions to manage medication-induced weight gain, which is often overlooked. I encourage anyone with professional experience in this area to join us and help shape a pathway that could make a real difference to people’s lives. We will hold a separate lived experience event in early 2025 in conjunction with our charity partners the McPin Foundation.”

For more information or to get involved, email Dr Howe at j.howe1@aston.ac.uk.