A diabetes drug can help manage weight gain among children prescribed medications to treat bipolar disorder, a new study shows.

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Second-generation antipsychotics like aripiprazole, risperidone and quetiapine are often effective in treating mood disorder, but they also can lead to substantial weight gain, researchers said.

But the diabetes drug metformin helped kids manage this weight gain, researchers report in the December issue of The Lancet Psychiatry.

“The effect on weight is modest, but for most patients the benefits of metformin outweigh the risks,” said researcher Christina Klein, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati.

“The suggestion is that clinicians prescribe metformin for youths who have bipolar spectrum disorders who are overweight or obese and are treated with a second-generation antipsychotic,” she said in a news release.

For the new study, researchers recruited more than 1,500 8- to 19-year-olds taking second-generation antipsychotics for bipolar disorder. All of the children were overweight or obese at the start of the study.

Half of the children were randomly selected to receive metformin and watch an educational video about diet and exercise, and the other half just watched the video.

Metformin works by reducing glucose production in the liver, decreasing glucose absorption in the intestines, and improving insulin sensitivity.

Data at six and 24 months showed that children taking metformin were more likely to avoid or minimize the weight gain associated with their psychiatric medications.

These results dovetail with recent updates in national and international guidelines supporting the use of metformin in both children and adults taking second-generation antipsychotics, researchers noted.

“The results … are consistent with recent practice guidelines and support the new standard of care — youth with overweight or obesity should be started on metformin at the same time a second-generation antipsychotic is initiated," lead researcher Dr. Melissa DelBello said in a news release. She’s chair and professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

DelBello noted that metformin is much more affordable and accessible than GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound, potentially making it a more feasible option for managing weight gain.