Comparison of the effects of fenfluramine and other anorectic agents in different feeding and drinking paradigms in rats.

Fenfluramine (2.5 and 5 mg/kg) significantly suppressed the food intake of rats following food deprivation, administration of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG), and during tail pressure. This suggests that fenfluramine has relatively general anorectic potency. Other "serotonergic" anorectics were studied for comparison. In a second experiment we determined that norfenfluramine and quipazine greatly suppressed food intake following food deprivation but, at the same doses, had relatively small effects on water intake following water deprivation. This was true for intraperitoneal and cerebroventricular routes of administration. The data have relevance for specificity of action of these agents and for the possible contribution of dopamine antagonist properties.