acipimox and Obesity--Morbid

Insulin sensitivity was estimated in a morbidity obese, insulin-resistant, glucose-intolerant patient before and after 4 weeks of treatment with Acipimox (250 mg t.i.d), an orally-administered, long-acting antilypolitic drug. The ensuing fall in circulating levels of fasting free fatty acids was associated with a clear amelioration of insulin resistance, as assessed by a minimal model analysis of a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test as well as by an oral glucose tolerance test. Similarly, this treatment brought about a reappearance of GH response to oral stimulation with clonidine. The evidence showing Acipimox-induced amelioration of insulin resistance in this patient without diet, exercise or weight loss should encourage exploring the potential utility of this drug in this type of patients.

Topics: Adult; Blood Glucose; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; Humans; Hypolipidemic Agents; Insulin; Insulin Resistance; Male; Obesity, Morbid; Pyrazines; Time Factors