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A Placebo-Controlled Trial of d-Fenfluramine in Bulimia Nervosa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Thomas A. Fahy ,
Ivan Eisler  and
Gerald F. M. Russell
Thomas A. Fahy*
Affiliation:
King's College Hospital and Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SES 8AF
Ivan Eisler
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry
Gerald F. M. Russell
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, and the Maudsley Hospital
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

d-Fenfluramine is a 5-HT agonist which decreases food intake and excessive carbohydrate intake in humans. A placebo-controlled trial of d-fenfluramine (45 mg/day) was conducted in 43 patients with bulimia nervosa. The patients entered an eight-week trial of medication during which they also received cognitive-behavioural therapy. Treatment response was assessed using food diaries to record eating behaviour, and self-rating questionnaires to measure psychopathology. The drug trial, and a follow-up assessment after a further eight weeks, were completed by 39 patients. Abnormal eating behaviour and psychopathology improved significantly in both the d-fenfluramine and placebo groups during the treatment trial. The study failed to show that the addition of d-fenfluramine affords an advantage over brief psychotherapy alone. Although d-fenfluramine is effective in suppressing the overeating, excessive snacking, and excessive carbohydrate consumption which are frequently found in overweight or obese patients, this study suggests that the drug is not an effective treatment for bulimia nervosa.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 162 , Issue 5 , May 1993 , pp. 597 - 603
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1993 

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