February 24, 2023

Can Medication Help with Eating Disorder?

Treatment

In eating disorder recovery, you might start to wonder what treatments are available. There are many combinations and treatment programs for eating disorders, especially when partnering with quality treatment centers and medical professionals. A commonly used treatment options is medications, as they can substantially affect other mental health conditions and co-occurring conditions contributing to your eating disorder.

Having a plan and organized approach to your eating disorder recovery is an essential part of recovery, and that often starts with finding the proper medication. Let’s look at the most common drugs used to treat anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder, and the other conditions that impact your mental health.

Getting Treatment — Where to Start?

Whether you turn to your local primary care practitioner or an eating disorder treatment facility, you should look to get your medication and additional treatment from a professional. This can include psychologists for psychological treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy, registered dieticians for nutritional therapy, or other medical specialists. It’s also best for your team to communicate with one another so that they can make the needed sufficient adjustments as you progress through the process.

When to Use Medication?

When getting treatment for bulimia nervosa and other eating disorders, mental health professionals often start with proven treatment programs. However, medications often come into play when you have co-occurring disorders like anxiety or depression. In addition, it’s important to remember that everyone’s body is different, and you might be more responsive to medication than other forms of treatment. Teaming up with a quality treatment center will ensure you’re prescribed the right medicines and on the right treatment path.

Types of Medications Used

Eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes, meaning treatment should be just as variable. This means that individuals with anorexia nervosa may react differently to medications that others with bulimia might respond well to. In addition, you might need to treat co-occurring disorders that impact your mind and body throughout recovery. Though that may feel like a lot to deal with, treatment is possible and you don’t have to walk through it alone.

For anorexia nervosa, medication isn’t usually the first treatment used, as your medical professional will likely resort to methods like nutritional therapy or psychotherapy. That said, antidepressants are widely used medications for treating symptoms of depression that can occur alongside anorexia. Additionally, your doctor might try medications like olanzapine that are used to treat psychological stress as treatment increases.

Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate is one of the first FDA-approved drugs to treat binge-eating disorders. Doctors can also prescribe antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and certain anti-seizure drugs for this condition.^[1] Antidepressants target brain chemicals to help boost your mood and avoid binging or purging behaviors.

Patients with bulimia are often most responsive to psychiatric medications. Doctors often prescribe various selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), as they are well tolerated by a large section of people. Of SSRIs, Prozac is an effective and often-used medication for adults with bulimia nervosa and is backed by approval from the FDA.

How to Make Sure You’re on the Right Path

Medications are just one of the many methods used for treating eating disorders. Combined with therapy programs and other treatment methods, you don’t have to feel alone while in recovery. If you’re looking to treat an eating disorder — whether you want guidance on what medication is right for you or whether programs like nutrition therapy can support your recovery — Aster Springs is the place to call. Our eating disorder treatment centers can help so don’t hesitate to find the location nearest you. The right support is just one phone call away.