Lactate and isoproterenol infusions in bulimic patients.

We compared the responses of bulimic subjects to those of panic disorder patients and normal controls during infusions of sodium lactate and isoproterenol in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Four of 8 bulimics infused with lactate had panic attacks. Three of 9 bulimics infused with isoproterenol panicked, and 1 bulimic panicked with a placebo infusion. Although bulimics were less likely than panic disorder patients to panic during provocative infusions, their anxiety levels as measured by a panic description scale were as great. A large portion of the anxiety response in bulimics occurred in those who had concurrent panic attacks.