An Open Trial of Olanzapine in Anorexia Nervosa

Nicole C. Barbarich, B.S.; Claire W. McConaha, B.S.N.; Jill Gaskill, C.R.N.P.; Maria La Via, M.D.; Guido K. Frank, M.D.; Sarah Achenbach, B.S.; Katherine H. Plotnicov, Ph.D.; and Walter H. Kaye, M.D.

Background: Recent reports raise the possibility that olanzapine can assist weight gain and improve behavioral symptoms during refeeding in anorexia nervosa.

Method: Seventeen DSM-IV anorexia nervosa subjects hospitalized between May 1999 and October 2000 were enrolled in open-label treatment with olanzapine for up to 6 weeks. Baseline weight and symptoms were compared to patients' status at the end of treatment.

Results: Olanzapine administration was associated with a significant reduction in depression, anxiety, and core eating disorder symptoms, and a significant increase in weight. A comparison with our historical data suggests that subjects in this study had a significantly greater decrease in depression.

Conclusion: These data lend support to the possibility that olanzapine may be useful in treating anorexia nervosa. However, a controlled trial is necessary to demonstrate that olanzapine is efficacious.

(J Clin Psychiatry 2004;65:1480-1482)

Received April 10, 2003; accepted May 11, 2004. From the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa Research Module, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, Pa.

This study was supported in part by Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Ind.

The authors thank Eva Gerardi, Marsha Marcus, M.D., Liz McCabe, M.S.W., and the staff of the UPMC eating disorders program.

Corresponding author and reprints: Walter H. Kaye, M.D., Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa Research Module, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O'Hara Street, 600 Iroquois, Pittsburgh, PA 15213(e-mail: kayewh@msx.upmc.edu).