There is growing evidence indicating that the use of second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) treatments in psychosis is related to potential metabolic side effects. Previous studies have shown clear metabolic side effects at short-term (12 weeks). However, to detect clinically-relevant impairment in metabolic parameters a long-term follow-up is preferred.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of aripiprazole, ziprasidone and quetiapine on metabolic measures in medication-naïve first episode psychosis patients after 1 year of treatment.

One hundred and sixty-eight, drug-naïve patients, suffering from a non-affective first episode of psychosis, were included in the present study. Patients were randomly assigned to quetiapine, ziprasidone or aripiprazole treatment lines. Weight and glucemic/lipid parameters were recorded at baseline and after 1 year of treatment. Other clinical and socio-demographic variables were recorded to eliminate potential confounding effects.

Weight (t = −10.85; P < 0.001), BMI (t = −11.38; P < 0.001), total cholesterol (t = −5.37; P < 0.001), LDL-cholesterol (t = −5.21; P < 0.001), triglycerides (t = −5.18; P < 0.001) and the triglyceride/HDL insulin resistance index (t = −4.09; P < 0.001), showed statistically significant increments after 1 year of treatment.

Moreover, on comparing the percentage of patients with pathological levels before and 1 year after the antipsychotic treatment, we detected higher percentages of patients with obesity (5.1% vs. 15.3%; P < 0.001), hypercholesterolemia (23.2% vs. 39.6%; P < 0.001) and hypertriglyceridemia (5.8% vs. 14.2%; P = 0.021) after 1 year of treatment.

The primary exposure to SGAs during the first year of psychosis was associated with significant increments in weight and metabolic parameters leading to a significant increment in the proportion of obesity, hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia in our sample.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.