Background & Aims Anti-depressants are frequently prescribed to treat functional dyspepsia (FD), a common disorder characterized by upper abdominal symptoms, including discomfort or post-prandial fullness. However, there is little evidence for the efficacy of these drugs in patients with FD. We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the effects of anti-depressant therapy effects on symptoms, gastric emptying (GE), and mealinduced satiety in patients with FD. Methods We performed a study at 8 North American sites of patients who met the Rome II criteria for FD and did not have depression or use anti-depressants. Subjects (n=292; 44±15 y old, 75% female, 70% with dysmotility-like FD, and 30% with ulcer-like FD) were randomly assigned to groups given placebo, 50 mg amitriptyline, or 10 mg escitalopram for 10 weeks. The primary endpoint was adequate relief of FD symptoms for ≥5 weeks of the last 10 weeks (out of 12). Secondary endpoints included GE time, maximum tolerated volume in a nutrient drink test, and FD-related quality of life. Results An adequate relief response was reported by 39 subjects given placebo (40%), 51 given amitriptyline (53%), and 37 given escitalopram (38%) (P=.05, following treatment, adjusted for baseline balancing factors including all subjects). Subjects with ulcer-like FD given amitriptyline were more than 3-fold more likely to report adequate relief than those given placebo (odds ratio=3.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.1–9.0). Neither amitriptyline nor escitalopram appeared to affect GE or meal-induced satiety after the 10 week period in any group. Subjects with delayed GE were less likely to report adequate relief than subjects with normal GE (odds ratio=0.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.2–0.8). Both anti-depressants improved overall quality-of-life. Conclusions Amitriptyline, but not escitalopram, appears to benefit some patients with FD— particularly those with ulcer-like (painful) FD. Patients with delayed GE do not respond to these drugs.

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Background-Prucalopride (R093877) is a selective and specific 5HT 4 agonist, the first of a new chemical class of benzofurans, with gastrointestinal prokinetic activities in vitro. Aims-To evaluate the eVects of prucalopride on gastrointestinal and colonic transit. Methods-A validated scintigraphic technique was used to measure gastrointestinal and colonic transit over 48 hours in 50 healthy volunteers. For seven days, each subject received a daily dose of 0.5, 1, 2, or 4 mg prucalopride, or placebo in a double blind, randomised fashion. The transit test was performed over the last 48 hours. Results-There were significant accelerations of overall colonic transit at 4, 8, 24, and 48 hours (p<0.05) and proximal colonic emptying t 1/2 (p<0.05). The 0.5, 2, and 4 mg doses of prucalopride were almost equally eVective and accelerated colonic transit compared with placebo. Prucalopride did not significantly alter gastric emptying (p>0.5) or small bowel transit (overall p=0.12). The medication appeared to be well tolerated during the seven day treatment of healthy subjects. Conclusion-Prucalopride accelerates colonic transit, partly by stimulating proximal colonic emptying, but does not alter gastric or small bowel transit in healthy human subjects. Prucalopride deserves further study in patients with constipation. (Gut 1999;44:682-686)