While for anorexia bulimia nervosa, the main forms of treatment include eating a recovery meal plan and having regular forms of psychotherapy, for those suffering with obesity and binge eating or compulsive eating disorders certain medications and/or surgery may be an additional option.
Medication for Obesity and Binge Eating Treatment
For those in the obese category, which is anyone who is above body mass index 30, the medications sibutramine and orlistat may be offered. The former has the effect of changing the neurotransmitters serotonin and noradrenaline in the brain while the latter lowers the amount of fat that is absorbed from the patient's gut.
Sibutramine is used with a menu plan and research studies indicate that in comparison to using a placebo, this combination is around twice as effective in terms of weight loss. However, as with all medications, side effects exist, such as dry mouth and constipation and this treatment required medical supervision and is not suitable for all obese patients.
Orlistat is recognised as being equal in terms of its effectiveness to sibutramine and through changing the manner in which fats are absorbed, the resulting unpleasant side effects gradually help sufferers to reduce the amount of fat they consume, especially avoiding foods containing hidden fats.
Surgery for Obesity and Binge Eating Treatment
For those with a body mass index of greater than 35 and when all else has failed, surgery may be the only option, but it is very important that this form of treatment is not viewed as a quick-fix. Surgical options include a gastric bypass, fitting a gastric band and bilopancreatic diversion.
The adjustable gastric band option is an increasingly popular form of treatment and has several advantages over other more invasive procedures, including that there is a reduced recovery time, less side effects, it is safer, reversible, may be adjusted in pregnancy, is controllable and remains equally effective even five years following the procedure.
There are several risks associated with gastric bypass surgery, including the following: wound complications or infections, haemorrhage, bowel obstruction and gallstones, as well as vitamin and mineral deficiencies. With such procedures, counselling and support both before and after surgery is recommended, as surgery for obesity should not be entered into lightly and nutritional counselling may often be provided, as there are substantial changes required to be made to the patient’s diet to maintain weight loss and health.
In addition to medication and the above surgical procedures for those who are not in the dangerously overweight category, liposuction may be an alternative to more invasive forms of treatment.
Source:
Abraham, S. (2008) Eating Disorders: The Facts Oxford University Press
Kate Le Page - Kate Henning-Le Page writes about eating disorders, body image and recovery issues. She specializes in anorexia recovery.
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