A new study has found that a prominent medication which is used in treating the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has shown promising results in curing the binge eating disorder (BED).
According to the estimates, about four million people in the United States suffer from BED, which is defined as recurrent episodes of disproportionate food consumption that can cause numerous health issues.
The researchers at the Lindner Center of Hope Research Institute in Mason, Ohio, conducted the clinical trial in which they found that ADHD drug lisdexamfetamine can help in combating BED.
For the study, the researchers involved 500 adults with moderate to severe BED condition and compared the drug lisdexamfetamine with a placebo. The drug was administered in the following dosages- 30, 50 or 70 mg/day or a placebo.
The randomized medical trial ran between May 2011 and January 2012. The ADHD drug Lisdexamfetamine got the approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2007 to treat the health condition.
Lead researcher Dr. Susan McElroy said, “In studies of ADHD, lisdexamfetamine improved impulsive symptoms and reduced hunger. BED is characterized by increased impulsivity and increased hunger, and animal studies suggested drugs like lisdexamfetamine reduced binge eating behavior.”
The study showed that the number of binge-eating days per week fell significantly in the groups that took 50 mg and 70 mg doses of the ADHD drug daily in comparison to the placebo group.
After nearly a month, 50 percent of adults taking 70 mg doses of lisdexamfetamine and 42.2 percent of those who took 50 mg were able to completely remove the BED behavior.
McElroy said that she is hoping to get confirmation of the results in ongoing clinical trials in improved pharmacologic treatment for the disorder.
“The findings require to be replicated in studies of larger groups of people with the eating disorder,” McElroy said adding, “Pharmaceutical firm is having discussions with the FDA about getting approval of lisdexamfetamine for the treatment of BED.”
The findings of study were published online in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.
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