Efficacy of buspirone, a fundus-relaxing drug, in patients with functional dyspepsia.

Abstract

BACKGROUND & AIMS:

Impaired accommodation and hypersensitivity to gastric distention are believed to be involved in the development of functional dyspepsia (FD). Buspirone, a 5-hydroxytryptamine 1A receptor agonist, relaxes the proximal stomach in healthy individuals. We studied the effects of buspirone on symptoms and mechanisms of FD.

METHODS:

We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of 17 patients (13 women; mean age, 38.5 ± 2.4 years). The study included 2 treatment periods of 4 weeks each, separated by a 2-week washout period. In the first period, 7 participants were given buspirone (10 mg, 3 times daily for 4 weeks) and 10 were given placebo 15 minutes before meals; patients switched groups for the second period. We assessed meal-related symptoms and severity, along with gastric sensitivity, accommodation, and emptying (by using barostat and breath tests) before and after 4 weeks of treatment.

RESULTS:

Buspirone significantly reduced the overall severity of symptoms of dyspepsia (7.5 ± 1.3 vs 11.5 ± 1.2 for placebo; P < .005) and individual symptoms of postprandial fullness, early satiation, and upper abdominal bloating, whereas placebo had no significant effect (all P < .05). Buspirone did not alter the rate of gastric emptying of solids or sensitivity to gastric distention, but it significantly increased gastric accommodation, compared with placebo (229 ± 28 vs 141 ± 32 mL, respectively; P < .05), and delayed gastric emptying of liquids (half-life = 64 ± 5 vs 119 ± 24 minutes, respectively). Adverse events were similar when patients were given buspirone or placebo.

CONCLUSIONS:

In patients with FD, 4 weeks of administration of buspirone significantly improved symptoms and gastric accommodation, compared with placebo, whereas gastric emptying of liquids was delayed.

• Authors: Jan Tack, Pieter Janssen, Tatsuhiro Masaoka, Ricard Farré, Lukas Van Oudenhove
• Journal: Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol) Vol. 10 Issue 11 Pg. 1239-45 (Nov 2012) ISSN: 1542-7714 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 22813445 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2012 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Gastrointestinal Agents
• Placebos
• Buspirone

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Buspirone (administration & dosage)
• Cross-Over Studies
• Double-Blind Method
• Dyspepsia (drug therapy, pathology, physiopathology)
• Female
• Gastric Emptying (drug effects)
• Gastrointestinal Agents (administration & dosage)
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Placebos (administration & dosage)
• Treatment Outcome