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 .
Use of a serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, in the treatment of obesity.
Health risks associated with obesity are well known and compliance with st and ard regimens for weight reduction is frequently unsatisfactory . Fluoxetine is a specific inhibitor of serotonin re-uptake with very minimal affinity for serotonergic or other receptors . It causes a decrement in food intake in animals . Placebo or fluoxetine was given for up to 8 weeks to non-depressed , otherwise healthy , obese patients given minimal dietary advice . Patients given fluoxetine  lost 4.5 + /- 4.0 kg , significantly more than those receiving placebo , 1.4 + /- 0.1 kg . The weight loss was correlated with the degree of obesity in the  fluoxetine-treated patients .  Asthenia was the only event reported significantly more frequently by fluoxetine-treated patients ( 23 percent ) than by those treated with placebo ( 3 percent ) ( P less than 0.01 ) . Fluoxetine appears to be safe and effective in inducing weight loss over periods of up to 8 weeks
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 .