Study: Antidepressant Aids Weight Loss in Non-Depressed Obese Patients

The sustained-release form of the antidepressant bupropion (sold as Wellbutrin and Zyban) together with a lifestyle intervention program result in significant weight loss in non-depressed obese patients, according to researchers at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.

Researchers conducted a multi-center, placebo-controlled study of the bupropion in conjunction with a lifestyle intervention program that included an energy-restricted diet and exercise, and found that the program resulted in significant weight loss in obese patients for up to 24 weeks.

A 24-week extension of the study showed that the average percentage of weight loss was maintained in patients who continued on the program for a total of 48 weeks, according to the study presented at the first annual Nutrition Week conference co-hosted by the American College of Nutrition.

More than 300 non-depressed, clinically obese men and women participated in the study. A total of 227 people completed the first 24 weeks and 192 completed the full 48 weeks.

All patients in the study maintained a moderate exercise regimen in addition to a reduced calorie diet (600 fewer calories per day than needed to maintain the patient's current weight). Participants in the study used Slim Fast meal replacement twice per day for the first 24 weeks and then once per day during the second 24 weeks.

Participants recorded their food intake and physical activity in a daily diary and attended 12 visits to a clinic where lifestyle goals were reinforced.

During the initial 24-week phase of the study, participants completing the study and receiving bupropion lost significantly more weight than those in the placebo group, according to the researchers.

Patients given 400 mg of the drug per day lost a larger percentage of initial body weight than those given 300 mg per day or those receiving a placebo.

At the end of the second 24 weeks, the average percentage of weight lost from the initial body weight for patients completing the study and receiving 400 mg or 300 mg of bupropion per day was 8.6 percent and 7.5 percent respectively.

"We are encouraged by these preliminary results in non-depressed obese patients," said Dr. James W. Anderson, professor of medicine and clinical nutrition at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and lead investigator of the study. "Even modest weight loss, if maintained, could produce significant health benefits."

Bupropion has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for weight loss and has not been studied extensively in obese persons.

Other sources: University of Kentucky