Placebo controlled double-blind trial of fluvoxamine maleate in the obese

Obesity and depression are common disorders which may co-exist. The management of the combination is complicated because some antidepressants cause weight gain fenfluramine, an effective antiobesity agent, may cause depression. Fluvoxamine is an antidepressant which, like fenfluramine, inhibits serotonin re-uptake within the brain. Forty obese female subjects with refractory obesity participated in a double-blind placebo controlled trial. During the twelve week study, those subjects receiving fluvoxamine achieved a mean weight loss greater than, but not significantly different from, that of the placebo group. The result suggests that fluvoxamine may be particularly useful in the management of obese patients requiring treatment with an antidepressant.