Gm. Goodwin et al., ORAL D-FENFLURAMINE AND NEUROENDOCRINE CHALLENGE - PROBLEMS WITH THE 30 MG DOSE IN MEN, Journal of affective disorders, 30(2), 1994, pp. 117-122
Ten healthy male volunteers of normal weight received 30 mg Of D-fenfl
uramine, a putative selective releaser of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT),
and placebo by mouth in balanced order at a 1 week interval after a li
ght breakfast. Blood was taken for estimation of plasma cortisol and p
rolactin, and the patients completed self rating scales for stress and
arousal and rated themselves on visual analogue scales for mood, hung
er and alertness at appropriate time points from 30 min before to 300
min after drug/placebo ingestion. There were no statistically discerni
ble effects of D-fenfluramine on either hormone measures or subjective
ratings. The failure to find effects may be due to a too low dose Of
D-fenfluramine and/or a lower sensitivity to the drug in men compared
with women. More information is required on the dose/reponse relations
hip and drug absorption especially after food. However, the findings c
ast doubt on results already obtained-employing this dose of the drug
in 'studies that have included male subjects. Furthermore, the interpr
etation of earlier studies with D,L-fenfluramine at a dose of 60 mg is
also made more uncertain by the failure to confirm that the more sele
ctive D-isomer produces equivalent effects.