Citalopram in anorexia nervosa

Thirthy-two female patients who had been diagnosed as having anorexia nervosa restricting subtype according to the DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV), were enrolled in a 6-month open trial with citalopram at a starting dose of 20 mg. At the end of the trial, 46.9% of the patients showed a satisfactory response, 34.4% an unsatisfactory response, improvement criteria being weight improvement, menstruation and score reduction on the Symptoms Checklist 90R. Anorectics also showed significant improvement in several Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2) scores at the end of the trial, with greater improvement related to satisfactory response to citalopram. Data suggest that SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) Citalopram could be effective at least in a subgroup of anorectic patients, both on clinically objective and on subjective aspects of anorexia nervosa.