THE EFFICACY OF DULOXETINE IN BULIMIA NERVOSA

Bulimia Nervosa (BN) is one of the most common eating disorders in industrialized societies, characterized by uncontrolled binge eating and self-induced purging or other compensatory behaviours aiming to prevent body weight gain. It has been suggested that reduced serotonergic tone triggers some of the cognitive and mood disturbances associated with BN. In fact in the active phase of BN the concentration of serotonin in cerebral fluid is reduced. For these reasons, the pharmacologic treatment of BN consists mainly of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). At present, the physiologic basis of this disorder are not yet completely understood. Recently, it has been reported that BN may be controlled also by using drugs involving the noradrenaline (NA) system thus suggesting a possible treatment of BN with tricyclic antidepressants or serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Given the above evidences, it is reasonable to assume the use of duloxetine, a SNRI, in the treatment of BN. Here, we present a study showing a strong evidence of duloxetine efficacy in the treatment of BN.