Changes in Weight and Glucose Tolerance During Treatment With Mirtazapine

Weight gain is a serious problem with numerous psychotropic drugs (1), and drug-induced weight gain may be associated with health risks typically linked to obesity such as type 2 diabetes. Some second generation antipsychotics are known to lead to weight gain and to impair glucose tolerance (2), but little is known about the influence of weight gain–inducing novel antidepressants such as mirtazapine on glucose tolerance. In a naturalistic study, we assessed weight, glucose tolerance, and plasma levels of insulin and cortisol, which are major players regarding glucose metabolism (3), in 11 inpatients (7 males and 4 females; age [mean ± SD]: 46.7 ± 20.5 years; weight: 73.3 ± 5.5 kg) with major depression according to the ICD-10 and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual …