On Treating Binge Eating With Vyvanse

Binge eating is the most common form of disordered eating. It is unique in that it is found to affect both men and women equally where women are up to three times likelier than men to experience other forms of eating disorders. Binge eating is linked to issues with weight management and obesity, which can lead to other forms of health problems like diabetes, hypertension, and more.

In 2015 a new treatment option was approved to treat binge eating disorder in the form of the ADHD medication, Vyvanse. Read on to learn more about binge eating and how Vyvanse can help alleviate symptoms.

What is binge eating?

Binge eating disorder (BED) is a form of eating disorder characterized by the overconsumption of food on a recurring basis. Patients are found to eat more rapidly during an episode of BED. They will also eat when no physical signs of hunger are present and will continue eating past the point of feeling uncomfortable or even ill.

These episodes are accompanied by a feeling of lost control, depression, or anxiety and can occur with other compulsive disordered eating behaviors such as purging, otherwise known as bulimia.

One important aspect of BED is that the episodes are recurrent, and occur at least once per week on average for a period of three months or longer. Often, patients feel a sense of shame or embarrassment and will binge in secrecy.

Even though BED is one of the most common forms of eating disorder, it is often under-diagnosed and untreated, with only 10% of sufferers receiving medical treatment for the disorder. One reason for this is because patients often feel ashamed of their symptoms. Another possible reason could be that the focus of treatment is put on the medical complications resulting from obesity, treating the symptom as opposed to the cause.

Until 2015, there was no recognized medical treatment for BED and most patients turned toward psychology and mental health counseling to ease symptoms. However, researchers have more recently linked BED to certain mood disorders.

Bingeing is associated with a rush of hormones like dopamine which trigger feelings of happiness or euphoria in people. Researchers are now wondering if BED is related to mood disorders like depression, anxiety, or obsessive compulsive disorder. Binge eating could be a method of self soothing in the wake of these disorders.

What is Vyvanse?

Vyvanse is the brand name for the medication lisdexamfetamine dimesylate, which is most commonly prescribed for adults and children with ADHD. Vyvanse helps to treat ADHD because it boosts the chemicals in your brain that make you alert and help you focus. Side effects can include increased heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate.

Vyvanse initially helps your brain with things like focus, but throughout the day the chemicals change in your body, becoming dextroamphetamine. This drug works by increasing dopamine, which is why researchers are now prescribing it to treat BED.

Experts theorize that it works by helping to keep dopamine levels steady in the brain. This steady stream of dopamine helps patients to stop the self-soothing bingeing behavior that may have been employed to stimulate the same chemical reaction in the brain.

One 11 week-long study showed that patients with BED are likely to experience less bingeing days when taking 50-70mg of Vyvanse with no other treatment interventions. Because of this study, Vyvanse was approved for treatment of BED in 2015.

A study shows an improvement in the number of days per week that a subject binged while taking either a placebo pill or Vyvanse.

Treatment options

Vyvanse received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of moderate to severe BED in adults in 2015, becoming the first medication to receive approval for the treatment of BED. This is promising news considering that until then, less than 10% of patients with BED received any treatment for the disorder at all.

Patients are typically prescribed between 50-70mg of the medication to treat BED. Vyvanse is not approved for the treatment of BED in children and should not be taken by people sensitive to amphetamines or those with a history of addiction.

As BED is often associated with mood disorders, it is wise to seek mental health treatment in conjunction with Vyvanse as a treatment for disordered eating. The most common side effects people in the study said they had were anxiety, constipation, dry mouth, faster heart rate, feeling jittery, and trouble sleeping.

Vyvanse must be administered by a doctor after a formal diagnosis, so if you feel that you may have symptoms of BED or disordered eating, seek the help of a health professional to find out what your options are.