Decrease of urinary levels of adrenergic metabolites including conjugated MHPG after a short term course of diethylpropion in obese children fed a mixed, low-calorie diet.

A short term course (8-11 days) of diethylpropion 50 mg a day was administered to 12 obese children of both sexes fed a mixed low calorie diet containing about 1000 calories/day. A group of 10 obese children received the same diet and no medication. The sex-distribution was similar in both groups as well as the degree of overweight (appreciated by the Quettelet index). The urinary excretion of some noradrenergic derivative (adrenaline-A, noradrenaline-NA, vanillyl-mandelic acid VMA, metanephrines NM and methoxy hydroxyphenyl glycol-MHPG) and of homovanillic acid (HVA) was measured in both groups before and after drug therapy or diet, respectively. After the diethylpropion course, the urinary mean value of MHPG decreased (2.17 +/- 0.30, mean +/- SE vs 1.47 +/- 0.21) but the significance was borderline. The mean level excretion of NA, VMA, MN and HVA were significantly lower following diethylpropion. No significant change was observed in the diet-only group of patients as regards the same determinations. These observations are not entirely explained by the previous pharmacologic knowledge on diethylpropion and other sympathomimetic amines.