Low-certainty evidence suggests that off-label fluoxetine may decrease weight compared with placebo .
However , low-certainty evidence suggests an increase in the risk for dizziness , drowsiness , fatigue , insomnia and nausea following fluoxetine treatment
BACKGROUND Fluoxetine is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor indicated for major depression .
It is also thought to affect weight control : this seems to happen through appetite changes result ing in decreased food intake and normalisation of unusual eating behaviours .
However , the benefit-risk ratio of this off-label medication is unclear .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of fluoxetine for overweight or obese adults .
Fluoxetine increases resting energy expenditure and basal body temperature in humans.
Humans lose weight when administered fluoxetine , an inhibitor of serotonin reuptake by nerve terminals . To determine whether increased energy expenditure contributes to this weight loss we admitted 20 nondepressed obese women to a metabolic unit where they were r and omly assigned to 3 wk of a 1.76-MJ/d formula diet and either 60 mg fluoxetine/d or a placebo .  Resting energy expenditure of the control subjects fell below normal after 5.6 + /- 0.6 d of energy restriction , whereas that of the fluoxetine-treated subjects increased by 4.4 + /- 1.8 % ( P < 0.005 ) within 3 d of commencing treatment . This increased resting energy expenditure then reversed and fell below normal after 9.8 + /- 0.9 d of energy restriction . Basal body temperature of the control subjects decreased insignificantly during the period of energy restriction , but that of the fluoxetine-treated subjects increased by 0.28 + /- 0.10 degrees C ( P < 0.05 ) within 3 d of commencing diet and drug treatment . Urinary norepinephrine excretion and the serum triiodothyronine concentration decreased equally in both groups . Despite identical energy intakes and equal nitrogen balance , the fluoxetine-treated subjects lost weight faster than the control subjects during the final week of energy restriction ( P < 0.05 ) . We propose that serotonin reuptake inhibition increases energy expenditure by increasing basal body temperature
Low-certainty evidence suggests that off-label fluoxetine may decrease weight compared with placebo .
However , low-certainty evidence suggests an increase in the risk for dizziness , drowsiness , fatigue , insomnia and nausea following fluoxetine treatment
BACKGROUND Fluoxetine is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor indicated for major depression .
It is also thought to affect weight control : this seems to happen through appetite changes result ing in decreased food intake and normalisation of unusual eating behaviours .
However , the benefit-risk ratio of this off-label medication is unclear .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of fluoxetine for overweight or obese adults .