Placebo-controlled study of fluvoxamine in the treatment of patients with compulsive buying

Compulsive buying is a syndrome characterized by the impulsive and/or compu lsive buying of unneeded objects that results in personal distress, impairm ent in vocational or social functioning, and/or financial problems. Results from a two-site, double-blind, placebo-controlled 13-week trial of fluvoxa mine are presented. Subjects had problematic buying behavior that they coul d not control for the previous 6 months or longer and met DSM-IV criteria f or impulse control disorder-not otherwise specified (ICD-NOS) and the Unive rsity of Cincinnati criteria for compulsive buying. Assessments included cl inician-rated scales-the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale modified for compulsive buying, the Clinical Global Impression Scale, the Global Assess ment of Functioning, and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-and patie nt self-reports using daily diaries, which measured episodes of compulsive buying. Forty-two subjects gave informed consent, with 37 subjects providin g evaluable information and 23 completing the study. Current or past psychi atric comorbidity was present in 74% of subjects. Intent-to-treat and compl eter analyses failed to show a significant difference between treatments on any measures of outcome. A high placebo-response rate, possibly from the b ehavioral benefits of maintaining a daily diary, prevents any definitive st atement on the efficacy of fluvoxamine in treating compulsive buying.