SynthesisBMC pharmacology & toxicology2023
Efficacy of pharmacotherapies for bulimia nervosa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC pharmacology & toxicology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Bulimia nervosa.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026Review
- Antidepressant use in German adolescents with a first recorded diagnosis of depression: a retrospective cohort study.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- Approved and Pipeline Pharmacological Interventions for Eating Disorders (2010-2025): 15 Years of Progress (or Lack Thereof).CNS drugs · 2026Review
- Utilising genomic association data for causal inference in anorexia nervosa.Mammalian genome : official journal of the International Mammalian Genome Society · 2025Review
- Neurotransmitter Alterations in Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Narrative Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Psychopharmacology Review for Eating Disorders Among Children, Adolescents, and Adults.Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) · 2024Review
- Bulimia Nervosa and Binge-Eating Disorder Across the Lifespan.Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) · 2024Review
- Eating Disorders: Updates and Innovations.Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) · 2024Article
- Overweight and glucose/lipid metabolism abnormality associated with SSRIs: a pharmacovigilance study based on the FDA adverse event reporting system.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe main purpose was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of different medications used to treat bulimia nervosa (BN).
methodsRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified from published sources through searches in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase from inception to November 2022. Primary outcomes were changes in the frequency of binge eating episodes and vomiting episodes from baseline to endpoint. Secondary outcomes were differences in the improvement of scores in depressive symptoms, tolerability (dropout due to adverse events) and weight change.
resultsThe literature search ultimately included 11 drugs, 33 studies and 6 types of drugs, 8 trials with TCAs (imipramine, desipramine), 14 with SSRIs (fluoxetine, citalopram and fluvoxamine), 6 with MAOIs (phenelzine, moclobemide and brofaromine), 3 with antiepileptic drugs (topiramate), 1 with mood stabilizers (lithium), and 1 with amphetamine-type appetite suppressant (fenfluramine). The reduction in binge eating episodes was more likely due to these drugs than the placebo, and the SMD was -0.4 (95% CI -0.61 ~ -0.19); the changes in the frequency of vomiting episodes (SMD = -0.16, 95% CI -0.3 ~ -0.03); weight (WMD = -3.05, 95% CI -5.97 ~ -0.13); and depressive symptoms (SMD = -0.32, 95% CI -0.51 ~ -0.13). However, no significant difference was found in dropout due to adverse events (RR = 1.66, 95% CI 1.14 ~ 2.41).
conclusionsThis meta-analysis indicates that most pharmacotherapies decreased the frequency of binge-eating and vomiting episodes, body weight, and depressive symptoms in BN patients, but the efficacy was not significant. In each drug the efficacy is different, treating different aspects, different symptoms to improve the clinical performance of bulimia nervosa.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.