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Emotional symptomatology in obese patients treated with fenfluramine and dextroamphetamine

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Karl Rickels ,
Peter Hesbacher ,
Ellen Fisher ,
Milton M. Perloff  and
Howard Rosenfeld
Karl Rickels*
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia General Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.
Peter Hesbacher
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia General Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.
Ellen Fisher
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia General Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.
Milton M. Perloff
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia General Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.
Howard Rosenfeld
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia General Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.
*
1Address for correspondence: Professor Karl Rickels, 203 Piersol Building, 3600 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104, USA.
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Synopsis

Emotional symptomatology data on 78 obese females treated for 3 weeks with fenfluramine, dextroamphetamine, or placebo were evaluated. These obese females were shown to be considerably less emotionally disturbed than neurotic females, and similar in emotional symptomatology to other females seeing physicians for nonpsychiatric complaints. Even within these marginally symptomatic patients, fenfluramine and dextroamphetamine were significantly more effective than placebo in reducing anxious, depressive, and anxious-depressive symptomatology. Fenfluramine was particularly effective in alleviating anxiety in patients who were initially higher in anxiety. Most important, fenfluramine produced significantly greater weight loss than dextroamphetamine in patients with higher levels of anxiety and depression, while dextroamphetamine was an especially effective anorexic in low anxious patients. Differences in initial anxiety and depression, even within relatively normal patients, may well affect results obtained with fenfluramine and dextroamphetamine in the short-term treatment of obesity.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 6 , Issue 4 , February 1977 , pp. 623 - 630
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1977

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References

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