Pharmacologic approaches in the treatment of eating disorders

Harv Rev Psychiatry. 1993 Jul-Aug;1(2):82-93. doi: 10.3109/10673229309017063.

Abstract

Important advances in the treatment of eating disorders, particularly bulimia nervosa, have been made during the past decade. Controlled trials for bulimia nervosa have demonstrated significant benefit from short-term pharmacotherapy with antidepressant medications and from short-term individual and group psychotherapies. Despite these advances, treatment of a patient often involves complex clinical decisions around such issues as choice of initial treatment modality, incomplete resolution of symptoms, and the role of long-term maintenance treatment. To address these questions, this review focuses primarily on summarizing results of published controlled trials of pharmacotherapy in patients with bulimia nervosa. In addition, it outlines the more limited literature on controlled pharmacotherapy trials for anorexia nervosa and for the provisionally identified syndrome of binge eating disorder.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antidepressive Agents / adverse effects
  • Antidepressive Agents / therapeutic use
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Comorbidity
  • Depressive Disorder / classification
  • Depressive Disorder / drug therapy
  • Depressive Disorder / psychology
  • Feeding and Eating Disorders / classification
  • Feeding and Eating Disorders / drug therapy*
  • Feeding and Eating Disorders / psychology
  • Humans
  • Psychotherapy* / methods
  • Psychotropic Drugs / adverse effects
  • Psychotropic Drugs / therapeutic use*
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antidepressive Agents
  • Psychotropic Drugs