A 22-year-old female college student with a history of anxiety is brought to the physician for evaluation of progressive fatigue and difficulty losing weight despite intensive exercise. Over the past year, she has had extreme fluctuations in her weight and has become more distant from her friends. She admits to binge eating and induced vomiting. She appears tired and pale. Her BMI is 18.7 kg/m2. Examination shows poor dentition. Pregnancy test is negative. Which of the following medications would be most effective in treating this patient?

Question

A 22-year-old female college student with a history of anxiety is brought to the physician for evaluation of progressive fatigue and difficulty losing weight despite intensive exercise. Over the past year, she has had extreme fluctuations in her weight and has become more distant from her friends. She admits to binge eating and induced vomiting. She appears tired and pale. Her BMI is 18.7 kg/m2. Examination shows poor dentition. Pregnancy test is negative.  Which of the following medications would be most effective in treating this patient?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Patients with bulimia nervosa engage in compulsive binge eating followed by compensatory actions aimed at preventing weight gain. Pharmacotherapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are used to treat those patients. Fluoxetine is the drug of choice.

A 22-Year-Old Female College Student with a History of Anxiety