SERTRALINE ENHANCES THE EFFECTS OF COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT ON WEIGHT-REDUCTION OF OBESE PATIENTS

Serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as dexfenfluramine, fluoxetine and fluvoxamine, have been proposed as therapeutical tools for the treatm ent of eating disorders and obesity. Sertraline, a SSRI used in the tr eatment of depression, interferes with eating behavior in animal model s, but it has not been tested in obese humans. Aim of this study is th e assessment of the effects of sertraline on eating attitudes and body weight in obese patients with and without mood disorders, A consecuti ve series of 65 obese outpatients aged 18-65 years, with a body mass i ndex (BMI) >30 kg/m(2), was treated for 6 months with sertraline 150 m g/day per os, in addition to a cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT). A consecutive series of 60 obese patients with similar characteristics, who were treated with CBT only, were used as control group. A greater reduction of BMI (mean+/-SD) was observed in sertraline-treated patie nts when compared to controls (from 35.3+/-5.7 to 32.0+/-5.4 kg/m(2) i n sertraline-treated patients, from 37.1+/-7.0 to 36.0+/-7.1 kg/m(2) i n controls; 6.5+/-5.4% vs. 3.0+/-6.3%; p<0.01), while a similar change in eating attitudes (evaluated through the BITE questionnaire) was ob served in both groups. Effects of sertraline on eating attitudes and b ody weight were similar in patients with and without mood disorders. i n conclusion, sertraline, administered together with CBT, seems to be more effective in inducing weight loss in obese patients when compared with GET alone, and therefore it could be a useful tool in the first months of CBT for severe obesity. (C) 1997, Editrice Kurtis.