Fluoxetine: A serotonergic appetite suppressant drug

Abstract

AbstractFluoxetine is a selective inhibitor of serotonin uptake that does not have direct effects on catecholaminergic neurons. Like other serotonergic drugs, fluoxetine reduces food intake in rats, and the characteristics of these serotonergic drugs differ from those of amphetaminelike drugs. For instance, fluoxetine and other serotonergic drugs have been reported to suppress stress‐induced eating, to suppress carbohydrate intake selectively, and to suppress eating elicited by insulin injection. Tolerance to the food intake‐reducing effect of fluoxetine has not been seen in experimental conditions in which other anorectic agents have shown tolerance. Clinical trials in overweight, depressed patients and in nondepressed obese subjects have shown the ability of fluoxetine to reduce body weight in humans. Fluoxetine may represent a new appetite suppressant drug that will be useful in the management of obesity.