Placebo-controlled study of fluvoxamine in the treatment of patients with compulsive buying.
Compulsive buying is a syndrome characterized by the impulsive and/or compulsive buying of unneeded objects that results in personal distress, impairment in vocational or social functioning, and/or financial problems. Results from a two-site, double-blind, placebo-controlled 13-week trial of fluvoxamine are presented. Subjects had problematic buying behavior that they could not control for the previous 6 months or longer and met DSM-IV criteria for impulse control disorder-not otherwise specified (ICD-NOS) and the University of Cincinnati criteria for compulsive buying. Assessments included clinician-rated scales-the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale modified for compulsive buying, the Clinical Global Impression Scale, the Global Assessment of Functioning, and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-and patient self-reports using daily diaries, which measured episodes of compulsive buying. Forty-two subjects gave informed consent, with 37 subjects providing evaluable information and 23 completing the study. Current or past psychiatric comorbidity was present in 74% of subjects. Intent-to-treat and completer analyses failed to show a significant difference between treatments on any measures of outcome. A high placebo-response rate, possibly from the behavioral benefits of maintaining a daily diary, prevents any definitive statement on the efficacy of fluvoxamine in treating compulsive buying.
Ninan
P T
PT
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
McElroy
S L
SL
Kane
C P
CP
Knight
B T
BT
Casuto
L S
LS
Rose
S E
SE
Marsteller
F A
FA
Nemeroff
C B
CB
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D016666:Fluvoxamine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D016666:Fluvoxamine