Melatonin for Atypical Antipsychotic-Induced Metabolic Adverse Effects: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract EN

The objective of our study was to determine the effect of melatonin administration on atypical antipsychotic-induced metabolic adverse effects in patients with psychiatric disorders.

A systematic search was performed in PUBMED, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost electronic databases.

Randomized controlled trials studying the effect of melatonin on antipsychotic-induced metabolic adverse effects were identified and subjected to meta-analysis.

Four studies were included in the meta-analysis, including 57 patients on melatonin and 61 patients on placebo.

Melatonin produced a significant decrease in the diastolic blood pressure compared with placebo (mean difference = −4.44 [95% CI, −7.00 to −1.88]; p=0.0007; I2 = 13%), but not the systolic blood pressure (mean difference = −4.23 [95% CI, −8.11 to −0.36]; p=0.03; I2 = 0%).

Although a decrease in the body mass index was seen in the melatonin group, the difference was not significant in the random-effects analysis model.

To conclude, in patients on atypical antipsychotics, melatonin at a dose of up to 5 mg/day for a treatment duration of up to 12 weeks attenuated the rise in diastolic blood pressure compared with placebo but had no significant effects on other metabolic parameters.