Goal: Drugs used in cases of obesity can be classified in several groups: those which increase thermogenesis; those which reduce the absorption of fats; and those which reduce the appetite. It seems that the last named group affects the intake pattern. The goal of our study was to assess the change in eating habits and the adherence to the diet by obese patients treated with paroxetin.
Scope: The population studied comprised 14 obese patients. All of them were prescribed a diet of 1,500 calories/day in two groups: Group I (n = 7; only diet) and Group II (n = 7; diet plus paroxetin). After three months, a 24-hour nutritional survey was carried out to compare habitual intake with recommended intake.
Results: The intake of Group I was significantly greater than in Group II in terms of total calories (2,094.2 +/- 415 calories/day) versus 1,403.4 +/- 368 cal/day; p < 0.05), grammes of protein (100.2 +/- 19.6 g/day versus 63.2 +/- 8.1 g/day; p < 0.05) and carbohydrates (218.8 +/- 60.8 g/day versus 164.3 +/- 64.1 g/day; p < 0.05), and there were no significant differences in the amount or type of fat eaten. There were differences in the consumption of iron (14.2 +/- 2.4 mg/day versus 8.7 +/- 1.7 mg/day; p < 0.05), phosphorus (1,623.5 +/- 301.9 mg/day versus 1,001.8 +/- 255.6 mg/day; p < 0.05) and potassium (3,820 +/- 1,629 mg/day versus 2,560 +/- 557 mg/day; p < 0.05), with the remainder of minerals and vitamins not presenting significant differences. In conclusion, paroxetin modifies the intake pattern by reducing the amounts of calorie, proteins and carbohydrates consumed.