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Sex differences in subjective and objective responses to a stimulant medication (methylphenidate): Comparisons between overweight/obese adults with and without binge‐eating disorder
Author(s) -
Davis Caroline,
Levitan Robert D.,
Kaplan Allan S.,
CarterMajor Jacqueline C.,
Kennedy James L.
Publication year - 2016
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.22493
Subject(s) - stimulant , methylphenidate , overweight , placebo , binge eating disorder , psychology , binge eating , overeating , appetite , mood , psychiatry , pharmacotherapy , ingestion , obesity , eating disorders , clinical psychology , bulimia nervosa , medicine , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , alternative medicine , pathology
Objective The purpose of this study was to examine sex differences in response to a single dose of a psychomotor‐stimulant medication (methylphenidate: MP) and to assess whether expected differences were moderated by binge‐eating disorder (BED) status. It is anticipated that findings will shed light on factors that contribute to response variation in the use of stimulant pharmacotherapy to treat BED. Method The study employed a double‐blind, drug‐placebo, cross‐over design in overweight/obese adults with BED ( n = 90) and without BED ( n = 108). Emotional/mood ratings were assessed every 15 minutes after oral administration of the drug/placebo, and appetite, cravings, and consumption were assessed during a laboratory‐based snack‐food challenge. Results Women reported earlier and more sustained “overall” effects of the drug—including “feeling high”—than the men. There was also a significantly greater suppression in appetite ratings, food cravings, and food consumption from the placebo to the drug condition among the women. Indeed, among men there were no significant differences between the two conditions on any of the food‐related variables. BED status also did not moderate any of the drug‐placebo differences. Discussion These findings are relevant to the use of stimulant pharmacotherapy for BED, and raise the possibility that overweight/obese men may be relatively less responsive to this form of treatment. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2016; 49:473–481).