BACKGROUND: The efficacy of pharmacological treatment in controlling childhood obesity is controversial. We aimed to compare the effects of three types of drug regimens and placebo on generalized and abdominal obesity among obese children and adolescents who did not succeed to lose weight 3 months after lifestyle modification (diet and exercise). METHODS: This triple-masked randomized clinical trial was conducted among 180 participants aged 10-16 years. They were assigned randomly to 4 groups of equal number to receive metformin, fluoxetine, a combination of the two drugs, or placebo. The trial lasted for 12 weeks and participants were followed up for an additional 12-week period. RESULTS: Overall, 91.1% (n=164) of the enrolled participants completed the trial. After the 12-week trial, the body mass index decreased significantly in all groups receiving medications [approximately -1.2 (0.2) kg/m², P<0.05]. This decrease was not significant in the placebo group. Waist circumference decreased significantly in the groups receiving metformin [-2.1 (0.4) cm, P=0.03)] as well as in the group receiving a combination therapy of metformin and fluoxetine [-2.5 (0.4) cm, P=0.01)]. In the 24-week follow-up study, these anthropometric indexes were lower than the baseline in the group that had received a combination therapy of metformin and fluoxetine. No serious drug side-effects were reported. CONCLUSIONS: A limited period of such treatment may help weight control, and might be used to encourage those children who have been refractory to weight loss for continuing the non-pharmacological programs. Our findings should be confirmed in future studies with a longer follow-up period.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: The efficacy of pharmacological treatment in controlling childhood obesity is controversial. We aimed to compare the effects of three types of drug regimens and placebo on generalized and abdominal obesity among obesechildren and adolescents who did not succeed to lose weight 3 months after lifestyle modification (diet and exercise). METHODS: This triple-masked randomized clinical trial was conducted among 180 participants aged 10-16 years. They were assigned randomly to 4 groups of equal number to receive metformin, fluoxetine, a combination of the two drugs, or placebo. The trial lasted for 12 weeks and participants were followed up for an additional 12-week period. RESULTS: Overall, 91.1% (n=164) of the enrolled participants completed the trial. After the 12-week trial, the body mass index decreased significantly in all groups receiving medications [approximately -1.2 (0.2) kg/m², P<0.05]. This decrease was not significant in the placebo group. Waist circumference decreased significantly in the groups receiving metformin [-2.1 (0.4) cm, P=0.03)] as well as in the group receiving a combination therapy of metformin and fluoxetine [-2.5 (0.4) cm, P=0.01)]. In the 24-week follow-up study, these anthropometric indexes were lower than the baseline in the group that had received a combination therapy of metformin and fluoxetine. No serious drug side-effects were reported. CONCLUSIONS: A limited period of such treatment may help weight control, and might be used to encourage those children who have been refractory to weight loss for continuing the non-pharmacological programs. Our findings should be confirmed in future studies with a longer follow-up period.
Authors: Camila Guimarães; Leonardo R L Pereira; Nélson Iucif Júnior; Evandro José Cesarino; Carlos A N de Almeida; Dermeval de Carvalho; Regina H C Queiroz Journal: Arq Bras Endocrinol Metabol Date: 2006-12
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Authors: Shubha Srinivasan; Geoffrey R Ambler; Louise A Baur; Sarah P Garnett; Mirijana Tepsa; Fabian Yap; Glenn M Ward; Christopher T Cowell Journal: J Clin Endocrinol Metab Date: 2006-04-04 Impact factor: 5.958
Authors: P T Katzmarzyk; S Barlow; C Bouchard; P M Catalano; D S Hsia; T H Inge; C Lovelady; H Raynor; L M Redman; A E Staiano; D Spruijt-Metz; M E Symonds; M Vickers; D Wilfley; J A Yanovski Journal: Int J Obes (Lond) Date: 2014-03-25 Impact factor: 5.095
Authors: Dennis M Styne; Silva A Arslanian; Ellen L Connor; Ismaa Sadaf Farooqi; M Hassan Murad; Janet H Silverstein; Jack A Yanovski Journal: J Clin Endocrinol Metab Date: 2017-03-01 Impact factor: 5.958
Authors: Paige D Wartko; Noel S Weiss; Daniel A Enquobahrie; Kwun Chuen Gary Chan; Alyssa Stephenson-Famy; Beth A Mueller; Sascha Dublin Journal: Am J Perinatol Date: 2020-06-30 Impact factor: 1.862