fluvoxamine and Feeding-and-Eating-Disorders

Topics: Comorbidity; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Fluvoxamine; Humans; Nutritional Support; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Paroxetine; Psychotherapy; Reference Standards; Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; Serotonin

Fluvoxamine is a potent and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that has little or no effect on other monoamine reuptake mechanisms. Relative to other SSRIs, fluvoxamine is a weak inhibitor of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6, a moderate inhibitor of CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 and a potent inhibitor of CYP1A2. In randomised, double-blind trials. fluvoxamine 100 to 300 mg/day for 6 to 10 weeks significantly reduced symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) compared with placebo. Response rates of 38 to 52% have been reported with fluvoxamine, compared with response rates of 0 to 18% with placebo. In patients with OCD, fluvoxamine had similar efficacy to that of clomipramine and, in smaller trials, the SSRIs paroxetine and citalopram and was significantly more effective than desipramine. Maintenance therapy with fluvoxamine may reduce the likelihood of relapses in up to 67% of patients with OCD. Fluvoxamine < or = 300 mg/day for 6 to 8 weeks was as effective as imipramine in patients with panic disorder, and significantly more effective than placebo. In addition, treatment with fluvoxamine < or = 300 mg/day for > or = 8 weeks improved symptoms of social phobia (social anxiety disorder), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), pathological gambling, compulsive buying, trichotillomania, kleptomania, body dysmorphic disorder, eating disorders and autistic disorder. Large trials comparing the efficacy of fluvoxamine and other SSRIs in patients with anxiety disorders are warranted. Fluvoxamine is generally well tolerated; in postmarketing studies, nausea was the only adverse event occurring in >10% of patients with less commonly reported events including somnolence, asthenia, headache, dry mouth and insomnia. Fluvoxamine is associated with a low risk of suicidal behaviour, sexual dysfunction and withdrawal syndrome. Fewer anticholinergic or cardiovascular events are associated with fluvoxamine than tricyclic antidepressants. Although comparative data are lacking, the tolerability profile of fluvoxamine appears to be broadly similar to those of other SSRIs.. Fluvoxamine has demonstrated short term efficacy in the treatment of OCD, panic disorder, social phobia, PTSD and in a range of obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders. The drug is as effective as clomipramine in patients with OCD but appears to have a better tolerability profile. On the basis of current treatment guidelines, fluvoxamine, like other SSRIs, is recommended as first-line treatment for a number of anxiety disorders. It appears to offer some pharmacokinetic advantages and a different drug interaction profile to the other SSRIs with a broadly similar spectrum of adverse events. However, direct comparisons are required to assess the relative efficacy and tolerability of the different agents of this drug class.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Drug Interactions; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Fluvoxamine; Humans; Intestinal Absorption; Metabolic Clearance Rate; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Panic Disorder; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

It is widely accepted that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) require 2 to 4 weeks of administration before improvements in emotional symptoms of depression are seen. We evaluated whether early monitoring of Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) scores in patients treated with the SSRI fluvoxamine could predict antidepressant response, and also assessed the relationship between the onset of clinical response following the start of fluvoxamine administration and its plasma concentration. Twelve depressed patients (baseline HAMD score ≥15) received an initial dose of fluvoxamine (50 mg/d) followed by an optimized maintenance dose according to their clinical symptoms after 7 d. HAMD scores and plasma drug concentrations were determined at 7 and 28 d after the first administration. There were 7 responders and 5 non-responders on day 28, as evaluated by HAMD scores. The HAMD score for the responders was significantly lower than that for the non-responders on day 7 (mean±S.D., 11.6±6.1 vs. 26.6±6.5, p=0.006). Thus, the reduction in HAMD score on day 7 was clearly divided between responders and non-responders. On day 28, the plasma concentration of fluvoxamine in responders was lower than that in non-responders (14.2±10.5 ng/ml vs. 44.2±28.1 ng/ml, p=0.051). Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis conducted on day 28 revealed an upper concentration threshold of 28.2 ng/ml (p=0.042), with none in the responder group above that level. Our results suggest that HAMD score after the first week of treatment with fluvoxamine and the upper threshold of plasma drug concentration could predict whether a patient is a non-responder.

Topics: Adult; Antidepressive Agents; Anxiety Disorders; Depressive Disorder; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Female; Fluvoxamine; Humans; Japan; Male; Middle Aged; Mood Disorders; ROC Curve; Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; Treatment Outcome

Topics: Adult; Combined Modality Therapy; Comorbidity; Energy Intake; Enteral Nutrition; Family Therapy; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Fluvoxamine; Follow-Up Studies; Gastric Emptying; Humans; Individuation; Intellectual Disability; Internal-External Control; Life Change Events; Male; Patient Admission; Patient Compliance; Referral and Consultation; Weight Loss; Williams Syndrome

Prader-Willi Syndrome is a congenital multisystem disorder, characterized by a typical dysmorphism, mental retardation, hyperphagia due to insatiable appetite, and resultant morbid obesity. Psychiatric symptoms include obsessions and temper tantrums.. Pharmacotherapy is experimental with a few reports of successful fluoxetine treatment.. We report an aggravation in the food-related symptoms and a consequent weight gain in an adolescent with Prader-Willi syndrome, who was treated with fluvoxamine and fluoxetine.

Topics: Adolescent; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Fluoxetine; Fluvoxamine; Humans; Male; Prader-Willi Syndrome; Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

The results of a small pilot study using Fluvoxamine (Faverin) in the treatment of non-vomiting bingeing female patients and women with bulimia nervosa is presented. Ten non-vomiting subjects and six with bulimia nervosa were treated on an open basis with Fluvoxamine 100-200 mg daily. Assessment was made using established questionnaires for severity of eating disorder and abnormality of mood. Five non-vomiting patients and three with bulimia nervosa completed the study. Non-vomiters showed a significant weight loss; a significant reduction in number of binges; a significant reduction in the scores on the BITE and the EAT; and a significant reduction in anxiety. Those with bulimia nervosa had a significant reduction in hunger and a reduction in depression which tended towards significance. Firm conclusions cannot be drawn from this study as it is an open pilot study of a small number of women. However, the results indicate that Fluvoxamine may have a role in the treatment of eating disorders where bingeing is a prominent symptom and that further research would be valuable. Comments are also made on the usefulness of various questionnaires designed to assess eating disorders.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Bulimia; Depression; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Female; Fluvoxamine; Humans; Obesity; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vomiting; Weight Loss