title: Treatment of bulimia with phenelzine. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
abstract: Twenty bulimic women of normal weight participated in a double-blind trial studying the effects of a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). Nine women received phenelzine sulfate and 11 received placebo. Although phenelzine's side effects were a problem, the phenelzine-treated patients reported significantly fewer binges per week and had a lower Eating Attitudes Test score. Five of the nine phenelzine-treated patients ceased binging entirely and the other four reduced their binge frequency by at least 50%; none of the 11 placebo-treated patients stopped binging and only two reduced their binge frequency by 50% or more. These data demonstrate that phenelzine is significantly more effective than placebo in the treatment of bulimic women of normal weight and suggest a place for MAOIs in the treatment of bulimic patients capable of maintaining a tyramine-free diet.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D004032:Diet; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006963:Hyperphagia / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010624:Phenelzine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010919:Placebos; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011897:Random Allocation; D014439:Tyramine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D010919:Placebos; D010624:Phenelzine; D014439:Tyramine