If you or someone close to you is struggling with an eating disorder, you might ask questions like “what is the right treatment for binge eating” or “how to treat binge eating disorder with medication.”
Binge eating is the most common eating disorder, and it requires treatment to overcome. Treatment looks different for everyone though there are options for binge eating medication that might be used in addition to therapy.
Contact Casa Serena today to learn more about how to find comprehensive mental health and dual diagnosis treatment for women.
How to Treat Binge Eating Disorder with Medication
Knowing how to treat binge eating disorder with medication is often acquired after you start treatment at a facility like Casa Serena and after you begin therapy sessions.
Most binge eating disorder treatment involves a combination of:
- Therapy
- Nutritional counseling
- Binge eating medication
Your team might recommend starting with eating disorder therapy sessions and then prescribing medication in addition to other services.
Binge Eating Medication
There are several categories of binge eating medication, each of which tackles different aspects of the disorder.
Stimulants
Vyvanse is a prescription stimulant that was the first FDA-approved binge-eating medication. Studies have shown that this medication can help control impulsive behaviors that result in binge eating. When not used for binge eating disorders, it is sometimes prescribed for ADHD as well.
Note: One of the most significant benefits of this binge eating medication is that you can avoid a relapse longer than medications designed to suppress an eating disorder. However, eating disorders are chronic mental health conditions, so the medicines you receive and any ongoing therapy in which you participate need to be continually managed for efficacy.
Some side effects of this medication include insomnia, constipation, and anxiety.
Antidepressants
Antidepressants are commonly prescribed to boost mood and target chemicals in your brain that may otherwise result in emotional binge eating, particularly associated with depressive disorders or anxiety disorders.
Clients who struggle with self-image, impulse control, or emotional regulation are more likely to use food as a coping mechanism. This can lead to binge eating disorders. However, with antidepressants and ongoing therapy, the same clients can improve their emotional regulation and impulse control and boost their self-image, no longer needing to use food as a coping mechanism.
Mood Stabilizers
Mood stabilizers can be prescribed to treat eating disorders alongside co-occurring mental health issues like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or PTSD. In these situations, individuals struggle with eating disorders because they have problems regulating moods.
Simple things like unhealthy sleeping patterns associated with trauma, depression, or bipolar disorder can disrupt the hormones in your brain that control and regulate hunger and eating. Sometimes medications to treat these mental health disorders can stop or reduce symptoms that disrupt sleep and, in so doing, alleviate binge eating.
Anti-Seizure Medications
In some instances, anti-seizure medications like Topamax can work more effectively than antidepressants to reduce binging. However, it doesn’t help stabilize any mood symptoms and can cause side effects like memory loss. If your eating disorder is the result of co-occurring mental health disorders or problems with mood and emotional regulation, your team might not suggest this medication.
Figuring out how to treat binge eating disorder with medication is something best left to professionals. At Casa Serena, our team can work with you as you move through our eating disorder treatment program and help determine which of these medications best suits your situation, given your physical and mental health.
Get Treatment Today with Casa Serena
Casa Serena is a gender-specific, women-only treatment center. You can feel comfortable and safe surrounded by other women. The beach is just a few minutes away, so you can relax in front of beautiful vistas when you aren’t engaged in treatment.
When you reach out to our team, we can help determine which level of care is most appropriate for your needs. Our top-rated women’s residential treatment center offers inpatient and outpatient programs for eating disorders. With Casa Serena, you can participate in multiple therapy levels, including trauma treatment, career counseling, and mental wellness programs with binge eating medication management services.
For eating disorders, we specialize in a range of therapy groups on-site, including:
- Perfectly Imperfect classes to address emotional eating
- Acceptance of Body Image Dissatisfaction
- DBT for Binge Eating
- Sorry Not Sorry therapy sessions
- Family support
- Intuitive Eating Groups
- Body and Mind Connection Group
- Body Positivity
- Health at Every Size
- Setting Boundaries with ED
Our eating disorder program runs between ten and twelve weeks in length. Each of the therapies used during your program is personalized to your needs. Certified nutritionists are on staff to ensure you are setting the right goals regarding healthy eating and improving your attitude toward your body, emotions, and food.Let Casa Serena help you start the right eating disorder program today. Call our admissions team to learn more about our eating disorder treatment program for women.