According to the results of a randomized, controlled trial, adults treated with lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (brand name: Vyvanse) had improvements in their binge eating and in its associated obsessive/compulsive features.

Susan L. McElroy, MD, of Lindner Center of HOPE in Mason, Ohio, and colleagues reported in the journal JAMA Psychiatry that more study participants randomized to receive either 50-mg/d or 70-mg/d of lisdexamfetamine achieved 4-week binge eating cessation compared with those given placeboes as well as those given a lower dose of the drug.

Vyvanse is a drug approved as a treatment for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and not binge eating, though clearly its manufacturer is seeking FDA approval for this indication.
If so, it might be a welcomed drug for a condition that has few available and effective treatment options.

"Confirmation of these findings in ongoing clinical trials may result in improved pharmacologic treatment for moderate to severe BED," the authors wrote in the paper.

For their study, they enrolled 260 adults (ages 18-55) who met the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for binge eating disorder. The study was not without its problems, as a majority of participants reported experiencing so-called treatment-emergent adverse events. Nonetheless, this option may offer a pharmacological response to binge eating where traditional treatment, which often involves cognitive behavioral therapy.

Source: MedPage Today, JAMA Psychiatry
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