We were able to rank most of the psychotropics based on the available evidence and recommendations from subject matter experts .
There were few discrepancies between published evidence and the expert panel in ranking these drugs .
Conclusion Potential for weight gain is an important consideration in choice of any psychotropic .
This tool will help clinicians select psychotropics on a case-by-case basis in order to minimize the impact of weight gain when making both intra-class and interclass choices
Introduction Psychotropic medication use is associated with  weight gain .
While there are studies and review s comparing weight gain for psychotropics within some classes , clinicians frequently use drugs from different classes to treat psychiatric disorders .
Objective To undertake a systematic review of all classes of psychotropics to provide an all encompassing evidence -based tool that would allow clinicians to determine the risks of weight gain in making both intra-class and interclass choices of psychotropics .
Fluvoxamine-Controlled Release Formulation for the Treatment of Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder
Background : Generalized social anxiety disorder is a highly prevalent anxiety disorder with deleterious effects on social and family relationships , as well as work performance . We report the results of a multicenter , r and omized , placebo-controlled trial comparing the efficacy , safety , and tolerability of fluvoxamine controlled release ( CR ) to placebo in patients with generalized social anxiety disorder . Methods : A total of 279 adult patients meeting all inclusion /exclusion criteria was recruited at 23 United States sites and r and omly assigned to receive either fluvoxamine CR ( 100 - 200 mg/d ) or placebo for 12 weeks . The dose could be increased , based on efficacy and tolerability , in increments of 50 mg/d at weekly intervals . The dosage remained constant during weeks 6 to 12 . Results : Treatment with fluvoxamine CR result ed in statistically and clinical ly significant improvements in symptoms associated with generalized social anxiety disorder as early as week 4 on the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and the Clinical Global Impression Scale Global Improvement , and at week 6 on the Sheehan Disability Scale , Clinical Global Impression Scale Severity of Illness and the Patient Global Impression of Improvement Scale . The most frequent adverse events reported by patients on fluvoxamine CR were headache , nausea , somnolence , and insomnia . No weight gain was observed for either treatment group , and at end point , there were no differences between treatments on overall sexual function , as measured by the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale . Conclusions : Both physician and patient-rated scales indicate that fluvoxamine CR is effective and safe for the treatment of generalized social anxiety disorder
We were able to rank most of the psychotropics based on the available evidence and recommendations from subject matter experts .
There were few discrepancies between published evidence and the expert panel in ranking these drugs .
Conclusion Potential for weight gain is an important consideration in choice of any psychotropic .
This tool will help clinicians select psychotropics on a case-by-case basis in order to minimize the impact of weight gain when making both intra-class and interclass choices
Introduction Psychotropic medication use is associated with  weight gain .
While there are studies and review s comparing weight gain for psychotropics within some classes , clinicians frequently use drugs from different classes to treat psychiatric disorders .
Objective To undertake a systematic review of all classes of psychotropics to provide an all encompassing evidence -based tool that would allow clinicians to determine the risks of weight gain in making both intra-class and interclass choices of psychotropics .