Medication for Binge Eating Disorder

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kschwab0203
kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My girlfriend recently told me that she was placed on medication for Binge Eating Disorder. I was surprised as I had no clue they had such a medication.

I'm a not a fan of diet pills and am a little skeptical of this.

I was just curious if any one here has taken it and what has been your experience with it?
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Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,004 Member
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    I would think she was prescribed something like an anti-anxiety or anti-depressant type drug...unless they are strictly targeting weight.

  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Probably Vyvanse. The same medication of prescribed for ADHD. It's a stimulant, not a diet pill. No clue how or if it works.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    I agree with cmriverside. It probably is just something like that. AFAIK, CBT is the most likely course of treatment.
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
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    nowine4me wrote: »
    Probably Vyvanse. The same medication of prescribed for ADHD. It's a stimulant, not a diet pill. No clue how or if it works.

    Ahhh...now that makes sense. A stimulant would suppress your appetite and make you less likely to binge. Although binge eating is typically an emotional issue unless one is really restricting their calories.
  • Vegplotter
    Vegplotter Posts: 265 Member
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    I'd say that pills aren't the solution - though they may form part of a wider therapy. In my own experience binge eating comes from not eating a balanced diet, skipping meals or just not getting hold of good food. I was working away from home doing a very high stress job, so I came home late many evenings and ate a huge frozen meal alone followed by a large bar of chocolate.
    The strange thing is, I didn't realise I was doing it! Changing my job solved it for me.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    Seeing as you say you got addicted to pills in another thread,'it is kind of concerning that you would be looking into them again.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,951 Member
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    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    My girlfriend recently told me that she was placed on medication for Binge Eating Disorder. I was surprised as I had no clue they had such a medication.

    I'm a not a fan of diet pills and am a little skeptical of this.

    I was just curious if any one here has taken it and what has been your experience with it?

    Please ask your friend what exactly is the med - we can have a much more informed discussion once we have this information.
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
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    elphie754 wrote: »
    Seeing as you say you got addicted to pills in another thread,'it is kind of concerning that you would be looking into them again.

    As I said in my original post, I am not a fan of diet pills and was skeptical....since you read the other thread and my position on such medication, you would understand why I would be concerned about my friend taking medication for weight loss. Which is why I was asking for feedback from any one that may have used medication for BED.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,004 Member
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    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    elphie754 wrote: »
    Seeing as you say you got addicted to pills in another thread,'it is kind of concerning that you would be looking into them again.

    As I said in my original post, I am not a fan of diet pills and was skeptical....since you read the other thread and my position on such medication, you would understand why I would be concerned about my friend taking medication for weight loss. Which is why I was asking for feedback from any one that may have used medication for BED.

    Did she ask for your input on this?

    I think BED is complicated, and unless you've suffered with it I think leave her to it. You'll never understand it, and her doctor is much better suited to deal with this than we or you are.

    We each find our own way to healing - the best thing is just to support her while she searches for answers.
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    My girlfriend recently told me that she was placed on medication for Binge Eating Disorder. I was surprised as I had no clue they had such a medication.

    I'm a not a fan of diet pills and am a little skeptical of this.

    I was just curious if any one here has taken it and what has been your experience with it?

    Please ask your friend what exactly is the med - we can have a much more informed discussion once we have this information.

    The name of the medication is Topamax. After googling it a bit ago, it seems it is predominantly used to treat seizures and migraines. Interesting.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    My girlfriend recently told me that she was placed on medication for Binge Eating Disorder. I was surprised as I had no clue they had such a medication.

    I'm a not a fan of diet pills and am a little skeptical of this.

    I was just curious if any one here has taken it and what has been your experience with it?

    Please ask your friend what exactly is the med - we can have a much more informed discussion once we have this information.

    The name of the medication is Topamax. After googling it a bit ago, it seems it is predominantly used to treat seizures and migraines. Interesting.

    Topamax can kill appetite, which is the wrong reason to take it. If you start taking it you can't just stop taking it, you have to slowly reduce the dosage. There are various side effects to taking it such as vision problems and interactions with birth control. I was on it for migraines. I lost weight rapidly for a few weeks before the negative side effects kicked in. After stopping it my binge eating got worse which made me gain even more weight.

    Binge eating is not something you pop a pill for unless it's caused by depression or anxiety.
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
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    usmcmp wrote: »
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    My girlfriend recently told me that she was placed on medication for Binge Eating Disorder. I was surprised as I had no clue they had such a medication.

    I'm a not a fan of diet pills and am a little skeptical of this.

    I was just curious if any one here has taken it and what has been your experience with it?

    Please ask your friend what exactly is the med - we can have a much more informed discussion once we have this information.

    The name of the medication is Topamax. After googling it a bit ago, it seems it is predominantly used to treat seizures and migraines. Interesting.

    Topamax can kill appetite, which is the wrong reason to take it. If you start taking it you can't just stop taking it, you have to slowly reduce the dosage. There are various side effects to taking it such as vision problems and interactions with birth control. I was on it for migraines. I lost weight rapidly for a few weeks before the negative side effects kicked in. After stopping it my binge eating got worse which made me gain even more weight.

    Binge eating is not something you pop a pill for unless it's caused by depression or anxiety.

    I agree with this.
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
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    cmriverside wrote: »
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    elphie754 wrote: »
    Seeing as you say you got addicted to pills in another thread,'it is kind of concerning that you would be looking into them again.

    As I said in my original post, I am not a fan of diet pills and was skeptical....since you read the other thread and my position on such medication, you would understand why I would be concerned about my friend taking medication for weight loss. Which is why I was asking for feedback from any one that may have used medication for BED.

    Did she ask for your input on this?

    I think BED is complicated, and unless you've suffered with it I think leave her to it. You'll never understand it, and her doctor is much better suited to deal with this than we or you are.

    We each find our own way to healing - the best thing is just to support her while she searches for answers.

    No, she didn't. And I am not the type of friend that is going to lecture her or tell her she's making a wrong choice if that is what her and her doctor have agreed to do. It was mainly for my own information. I had never heard of this before.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    elphie754 wrote: »
    Seeing as you say you got addicted to pills in another thread,'it is kind of concerning that you would be looking into them again.

    As I said in my original post, I am not a fan of diet pills and was skeptical....since you read the other thread and my position on such medication, you would understand why I would be concerned about my friend taking medication for weight loss. Which is why I was asking for feedback from any one that may have used medication for BED.

    Did she ask for your input on this?

    I think BED is complicated, and unless you've suffered with it I think leave her to it. You'll never understand it, and her doctor is much better suited to deal with this than we or you are.

    We each find our own way to healing - the best thing is just to support her while she searches for answers.

    No, she didn't. And I am not the type of friend that is going to lecture her or tell her she's making a wrong choice if that is what her and her doctor have agreed to do. It was mainly for my own information. I had never heard of this before.
    If she didn't ask for your input, then stay out of it. Honestly, if a friend of mine posted on the internet about something I had told them and didn't ask input on, our friendship would be over.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    It is also used to treat psychiatric conditions, lots of anti-seizure meds are.
  • Karen_can_do_this
    Karen_can_do_this Posts: 1,150 Member
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    VintageFeline wrote: »
    It is also used to treat psychiatric conditions, lots of anti-seizure meds are.
    Yep. I take valproate for bipolar but it's an anti seizure medication that many people with epilepsy take
  • xtina315
    xtina315 Posts: 218 Member
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    Probably an antidepressant most likely wellbutrin or adipex
  • drivennightrunner87
    drivennightrunner87 Posts: 302 Member
    edited November 2016
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    xtina315 wrote: »
    Probably an antidepressant most likely wellbutrin or adipex

    The medication is called Vyvanse (lisdexamphetamine)--and it's an amphetamine similar to Adderall. It is taken once a day and lasts about 14 hours. It is the only fda-approved medication on the market for Binge Eating. I took it at 240lbs and it helped me get to the 180's. It helped changed my relationship with food and subdued cravings for the bad stuff--because it pumps dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin in your brain (less appetite, brighter mood, more motivation and focus)..it's very expensive, controlled and powerful. I took a chance. Never got addicted either (but it can have abuse potential). Very, very very different from Phentermine and Wellbutrin. This in my opinion is cream of the crop.
  • drivennightrunner87
    drivennightrunner87 Posts: 302 Member
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    Also, the weight loss tends to be faster overall on it...so that could be a concern too

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