A CONTROLLED TRIAL OF CISAPRIDE IN ANOREXIA-NERVOSA

To determine the efficacy of cisapride, 10 mg three times daily, in im proving gastric emptying, reducing distress during meals, and facilita ting weight gain in anorexia nervosa, we conducted an 8-week, randomiz ed, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on 29 inpatients. Measures included scintigraphic gastric emptying studies at 0, 2, 4, and 8 week s; subjective distress during meals measured by visual analogue scales ; self-rating of degree of global improvement in symptoms associated w ith eating at end of study; and weight measured weekly. Gastric emptyi ng improved significantly but equally in both groups over the study pe riod. Yet subjective measures were better in the cisapride group; they rated themselves as more hungry (p =.02) and more improved on the glo bal measure of change in symptoms (p =.02). Even so, the cisapride gro up did not gain more weight. The correlation between gastric emptying and weight gain was modest (r =.30; p =.11), and between gastric empty ing and the subjective measures, virtually absent. (C) 1995 by John Wi ley and Sons, Inc.