Lifting weights to fight med side effects: new study in psychosis
NCT ID NCT07386483
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a supervised 12-week resistance training programme can prevent harmful weight gain and improve physical health in people recently diagnosed with first-episode psychosis who are starting antipsychotic medication. Forty participants will be randomly assigned to either standard care plus twice-weekly strength training or standard care alone. The main goals are to see if the programme is feasible and to measure changes in body fat, muscle strength, and overall health.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- resistance training programme
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to prevent the rapid weight gain and metabolic problems that often come with antipsychotic medication.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small feasibility study with only 40 people, so results may not apply to everyone. It is also not yet recruiting, and the exercise programme requires commitment that some may find hard to maintain.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Feb 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: To be eligible for inclusion, a participant must meet the following criteria: 1. Aged between 18 and 65 years. 2. Has the capacity to provide written informed consent. 3. Has a clinical diagnosis of a First-Episode Psychosis (affective or non-affective) made within the past three months. 4. Has had a cumulative lifetime exposure to antipsychotic medication for less than four weeks at the time of enrolment. 5. Be prescribed an antipsychotic medication at the time of enrolment. 6. Every effort will be made to include the migrant population, who have double the risk of developing psychosis compared to the general population. An interpreter service will be used during the consent stage to ensure fully informed consent is established. Exclusion Criteria A participant will be excluded from the study if they meet any of the following criteria: 1a. A medical condition that, in the investigator's opinion, would prevent them from giving informed consent. 1b. A medical condition that, in the investigator's opinion, would prevent them from safely participating in an exercise programme (e.g., severe, unstable cardiovascular disease, significant musculoskeletal injury). 2\. Pregnant women will not be included, as hormonal changes would increase the risk of musculoskeletal injury (due to relaxin increasing laxity in ligaments and joints), maternal and foetal cardiovascular strain during the Valsalva manouevre, and additional confounders (due to pregnancy's effects on metabolism, energy levels, and physical capacity). Pregnancy is also associated with changes in body composition which affect the measurement of the primary outcome. 3\. Currently participating in another clinical trial of an investigational medicinal product or device.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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St Vincent's University Hospital / University College Dublin
Dublin, Ireland
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