Posted by Dr. Beth Steinhauer on December 22, 2004, at 17:20:20
In reply to Steinhauer: Nardil and binge eating, posted by gardenergirl on December 22, 2004, at 0:37:19
Good question! It's certainly true that Nardil often causes weight gain. This class of antidepressants (MAO inhibitors, or MAOIs) has been used much less frequently in recent years, since the advent of SSRIs and other atypical antidepressants. Consequently, I haven't run into binge eating with my own patients, but that may be an artifact of using MAOIs so infrequently.
If the MAOI is working well for your depressive symptoms, I wouldn't want you to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Parnate is another brand of MAOI that may cause less weight gain. Also on the horizon is an MAOI patch, which reportedly caused many fewer side effects in research trials. However, I don't know how soon it will make it to market.
It's possible that, since current MAOIs require dietary restrictions (a diet low in tyramine), many psychiatrists are not using these medicines in patients with eating disorder histories, and that's why there's little data available.
In the meantime, "Overcoming Binge Eating" by Christopher Fairburn is an excellent book that may help you with behavioral strategies. Good luck! ES
poster:Dr. Beth Steinhauer
thread:432712
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/eating/20041128/msgs/433004.html