Excessive weight gain has been seen in patients who are taking antipsychotic medications, which include aripiprazole, clozaril, olanzapine and ziprasidone. Patients who are diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are at a higher risk for obesity because of the prolonged use of antipsychotic medications. There is a research about using herbal weight loss products in patients who are taking antipsychotic medications. However, some of these herbal supplements may exacerbate psychiatric symptoms such as mood disturbances, anxiety, psychosis, addiction, and delirium (Bersani et al., 2015). One herbal supplement included in the study was the use of panax ginseng, which is a herbal supplement that is native in Korea and China, and it is typically use for weight loss due the believe that it improves glucose tolerance, reduce LDL plasma levels, and inhibits weight gain. However, when taking this herbal supplement with other antipsychotic medications, some may experience headaches and tremulousness (Bersani et al., 2015). It may also decrease the effect of the medications and some symptoms may even get worse (Bersani et al., 2015). It is important to include herbal supplements when doing medication reconciliation because other patients may not consider herbal supplements as medications.
Bersani, F. S., Coviello, M., Imperatori, C., Francesconi, M., Hough, C. M., Valeriani, G., … Corazza, O. (2015).
Adverse psychiatric effects associated with herbal weight-loss products. BioMed Research International,
2015, 1–10. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csusm.edu/10.1155/2015/120679