A double-blind,placebo-controlled trial of fluvoxamine in binge eating disorder: a high placebo response

Summary Twenty subjects with binge eating disorder were randomly assigned to flexible-dose fluvoxamine or placebo for 12 weeks. A significant reduction in binge frequency, Beck Depression Inventory scores and the eating concern, shape concern and weight concern subscales of the Eating Disorder Examination were noted for both fluvoxamine (n = 9) and placebo (n = 11) groups. There were no significant differences between fluvoxamine and placebo for any treatment outcome variables. The findings from this small trial contribute to the inconsistent results of antidepressant studies in binge eating disorder. Received August 7, 2002; accepted January 26, 2003 Published online April 23, 2003 RID="*" ID="*"  This study was presented as a poster at the 9^th International Conference on Eating Disorders, May, 2000, New York, NY. Supported in part by a grant from Solvay Pharmaceuticals. Correspondence: Teri Pearlstein, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown Medical School, Director, Women's Behavioral Health Program, Women and Infants Hospital, 101 Dudley Street, Providence, RI 02905, U.S.A.; e-mail: Teri_Pearlstein@brown.edu