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A Review of Pharmacologic Treatment for Compulsive Buying Disorder

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Abstract

At present, no treatment recommendations can be made for compulsive buying disorder. Recent studies have found evidence for the efficacy of psychotherapeutic options, but less is known regarding the best pharmacologic treatment. The purpose of this review is to present and analyze the available published evidence on the pharmacological treatment of compulsive buying disorder. To achieve this, we conducted a review of studies focusing on the pharmacological treatment of compulsive buying by searching the PubMed/MEDLINE database. Selection criteria were applied, and 21 studies were identified. Pharmacological classes reported included antidepressants, mood stabilizers, opioid antagonists, second-generation antipsychotics, and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists. We found only placebo-controlled trials for fluvoxamine; none showed effectiveness against placebo. Three open-label trials reported clinical improvement with citalopram; one was followed by a double-blind discontinuation. Escitalopram was effective in an open-label trial but did not show efficacy in the double-blind phase. Memantine was identified as effective in a pilot open-label study. Fluoxetine, bupropion, nortriptyline, clomipramine, topiramate and naltrexone were only reported to be effective in clinical cases. According to the available literature, there is no evidence to propose a specific pharmacologic agent for compulsive buying disorder. Future research is required for a better understanding of both pathogenesis and treatment of this disorder.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Adam Mieczyński and Marina Gonçalves for their help with translation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hospital de Braga, Sete Fontes, São Victor, 4710-243, Braga, Portugal

    Célia Soares, Natália Fernandes & Pedro Morgado

  2. Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

    Pedro Morgado

  3. ICVS/3B’s-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal

    Pedro Morgado

Authors
  1. Célia Soares
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  2. Natália Fernandes
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Correspondence to Célia Soares.

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The authors declare that all principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed. The research did not involve human participants or animals.

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Célia Soares, Natália Fernandes, and Pedro Morgado declare they have no conflicts of interest.

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The authors certify that neither they nor their institutions received any financial support to assist with the preparation of this review.

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Soares, C., Fernandes, N. & Morgado, P. A Review of Pharmacologic Treatment for Compulsive Buying Disorder. CNS Drugs 30, 281–291 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40263-016-0324-9

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