Fluoxetine for bulimia nervosa following poor response to psychotherapy.
OBJECTIVE
This was an investigation of whether treatment with fluoxetine is useful for individuals with bulimia nervosa who do not respond to psychotherapy or relapse afterward.


METHODS
Twenty-two patients with bulimia nervosa who had not responded to, or had relapsed following, a course of cognitive behavior therapy or interpersonal psychotherapy were randomly assigned to receive placebo (N=9) or fluoxetine (60 mg/day, N=13) for 8 weeks.


RESULTS
The median frequency of binge eating in the previous 28 days declined from 22 to four episodes in the fluoxetine group but increased from 15 to 18 episodes in the placebo group. Similarly, purging frequency in the previous 28 days declined from 30 to six episodes in the fluoxetine group but increased from 15 to 38 episodes in the placebo group.


CONCLUSIONS
Fluoxetine may be a useful intervention for patients with bulimia nervosa who have not responded adequately to psychological treatment.
Walsh
B T
BT
Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA. btw1@columbia.edu
Agras
W S
WS
Devlin
M J
MJ
Fairburn
C G
CG
Wilson
G T
GT
Kahn
C
C
Chally
M K
MK
D000328:Adult; D002032:Bulimia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D010919:Placebos; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012008:Recurrence; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D005473:Fluoxetine; D010919:Placebos; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors