Cyclic vomiting syndrome treated successfully with fluoxetin.

Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) is defined as severe vomiting attacks which initiate suddently, recur with certain intervals, may last for hours and days and generally limit themselves. During attacks, signs including nausea, abdominal pain, photophobia, fever, palor, dehydratation, excessive saliva secretion and social isolation may accompany vomiting. Patients are completely healthy during the period between attacks. There is no laboratory or radiological finding which can explain the disease. It has been reported that the attacks may last for hours and days and the disease may last for months and years (1-3). The reasons of cyclic vomiting syndrome have not been elucidated fully yet. Hypersensitivity of the hypathalamo-pituitary-adrenal system and autonomic dysfunction in the autonomic system, disorders related with ion channels and mitochondrial disorders (like in migraine) and psychological factors have been blamed in the etiology (2-4). There is no clear consensus on the treatment of the disease. Life-style changes which target a decrease in the triggering factors, supportive therapies during attacks and prophylactic drug therapies are used (5). The information related with especially prophylactic treatment is limited, though various pharmacological agents are used. In this article, a patient who was treated successfully with fluoxetine which is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor used in prophylactic treatment of CVS was presented.