Duloxetine in obese binge eater outpatients: preliminary results from a 12‐week open trial

Abstract

Attempts have been made to find appropriate drug regimens to treat binge eating disorder (BED). Several reports have examined the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or mood stabilizers; both serotonin and noradrenalin reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) have been reported to be useful for binge eating, but the available data are limited. We evaluated the efficacy of duloxetine, an SNRI, in 45 obese patients who reported binge eating. Forty-five patients with BED or binge eating with sub-threshold symptoms (s-BED) with high eating impulsivity, received duloxetine 60-120 mg/day for 12 weeks. A significant reduction in number of binges/week was observed in BED patients; statistical analyses performed on the whole sample revealed significant reductions in scores on the binge eating scale (BES) and the Beck depression inventory (BDI), weight, body mass index (BMI), clinical global impression, and the bulimia scale of the eating disorder inventory-2. The reduction in BES and BDI scores was not statistically different between BED and s-BED subjects. Although preliminary, results from this open trial suggest that duloxetine may be a successful option to reduce binge eating and depressive symptoms in both obese BED and s-BED outpatients.