Brief Report: Metformin for Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Doctors tracked BMI z-scores in 53 autistic teens who took metformin to fight antipsychotic weight gain. The team had no control group; they simply watched the same kids for almost two years.

The goal was to see if the diabetes pill could hold weight steady while antipsychotics did their job.

BMI z-scores stayed flat across the study period. In plain words, kids did not keep piling on pounds once metformin was added.

The finding hints that metformin can act like a brake on drug-related weight gain.

Marí-Bauset et al. (2015) and Barak-Levy et al. (2015) both warn that autistic youth often carry extra weight or lack key nutrients. Those studies describe the problem; Deserno et al. (2017) tests a cheap pill that may help fix it.

Kupis et al. (2021) adds brain data, showing higher BMI in autistic teens links to weaker executive skills. Steady BMI from metformin might protect both body and brain.

Zhou et al. (2018) show antipsychotics are already common in routine care. The new data give clinicians a concrete tool to manage a known side effect of those very prescriptions.

You now have real-world evidence to share with prescribers. When an autistic teen on antipsychotics starts metformin, flag a stable BMI z-score chart at the next team meeting. One glance can justify keeping the drug pair, adjusting diet services, or calming parent worries about rapid weight gain. No extra therapy hours, no fancy equipment—just a simple pill and your routine height-weight log.