A woman with nocturnal eating syndrome responsive to dexfenfluramine (DXF) is reported. Eating consisted of nightly ingestion of large amounts of high-calorie meals and often sloppy meal consumption or preparation. Amnesia for the episodes was total. Anorexigenic medications produced partial control of her daytime carbohydrate craving and no nocturnal eating change. DXF stopped her eating behavior completely. Nocturnal eating herein meets all 4 DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria for binge eating disorder. 5-HT role in neural process controlling sleep-wakefulness (SW) has been widely shown. A 5-HT agonist like DXF could determine changes in the SW processes producing the therapeutic outcome reported herein. However, a specific DXF effect on the behavioral control of carbohydrate ingestion can not be dismissed.
Nocturnal eating syndrome; dexfenfluramine; serotonin; binge eating disorder