A Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Crossover Study of Fluoxetine in Trichotillomania

In 1991, a study involving 21 adult chronic hair pullers tested the efficacy of fluoxetine, an antiobsessional agent, for treating trichotillomania. The study was a placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study with 6-week trials of fluoxetine (up to 80 mg/day) and placebo, separated by a 5-week washout period. Fifteen subjects completed the study, but the results showed no significant differences between fluoxetine and placebo in terms of hair pulling, the urge to pull hair, the number of hair-pulling episodes, or the estimated amount of hair pulled per week. Therefore, the study concluded that fluoxetine did not demonstrate short-term efficacy in treating trichotillomania.