Safety of fluoxetine in the treatment of obesity.

Observations related to the safety of fluoxetine in the treatment of obese patients are reviewed. The adverse event profile in obese patients, though differing slightly from that seen in depressed patients, was similar in that events observed were generally mild and well tolerated. Other than rash, no potentially serious adverse events believed to be related to fluoxetine were observed. Special evaluations of pharmacokinetics, psychomotor impairment, cardiac effects, phospholipidosis and addiction potential have identified no major problems in these areas. It is concluded that fluoxetine use for the treatment of obesity should carry with it minimal risk.