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Acamprosate in the treatment of binge eating disorder: A placebo‐controlled trial
Author(s) -
McElroy Susan L.,
Guerdjikova Anna I.,
Winstanley Erin L.,
O'Melia Anne M.,
Mori Nicole,
McCoy Jessica,
Keck Paul E.,
Hudson James I.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.20876
Subject(s) - acamprosate , placebo , binge eating , psychology , binge eating disorder , craving , psychiatry , clinical psychology , eating disorders , medicine , bulimia nervosa , naltrexone , addiction , receptor , alternative medicine , pathology , opioid
Objective: To assess preliminarily the effectiveness of acamprosate in binge eating disorder (BED). Method: In this 10‐week, randomized, placebo‐controlled, flexible dose trial, 40 outpatients with BED received acamprosate ( N = 20) or placebo ( N = 20). The primary outcome measure was binge eating episode frequency. Results: While acamprosate was not associated with a significantly greater rate of reduction in binge eating episode frequency or any other measure in the primary longitudinal analysis, in the endpoint analysis it was associated with statistically significant improvements in binge day frequency and measures of obsessive‐compulsiveness of binge eating, food craving, and quality of life. Among completers, weight and BMI decreased slightly in the acamprosate group but increased in the placebo group. Discussion: Although acamprosate did not separate from placebo on any outcome variable in the longitudinal analysis, results of the endpoint and completer analyses suggest the drug may have some utility in BED. © 2010 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2011; 44:81–90)