Naloxone in the treatment of anorexia nervosa: effect on weight gain and lipolysis.

The effects of a constant intravenous infusion of naloxone in doses ranging from 3.2 to 6.4 mg/day were studied in a group of patients with anorexia nervosa. Patients showed a significantly greater weight gain during the infusion compared with the periods before and after naloxone. Plasma β-hydroxybutyrate and non-esterified fatty acid levels fell during the infusion. It is suggested that, in man, naloxone has an antilipolytic effect in vivo.