Medication
The treatment of bulimia nervosa may involve a range of interventions from self-help in primary care through to, in occasional cases, inpatient treatment. Treatments vary in type and in the service level – outpatient, day patient or inpatient – at which they are delivered.
Therapy
Medication for Bulimia Prozac (Fluoxetine) is the only FDA-approved medication for the treatment of bulimia. Medication for Comorbidities with Bulimia Medication may also be prescribed for comorbid diagnoses like mood and/or anxiety disorders. Psychiatric and Therapeutic Treatment Methods for Bulimia
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Antidepressants should not be offered as the only treatment for bulimia. But you may be offered an antidepressant, such as fluoxetine (Prozac), in combination with therapy or self-help treatment, to help you manage other conditions, such as: anxiety or depression social phobia obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
What is the best antidepressant for bulimia?
Bulimia treatment The largest controlled study on bulimia so far shows that two types of psychotherapy can help individuals stop bingeing and purging: Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps individuals change the unrealistically negative thoughts they have about their appearance and change their eating behaviors.
What sorts of medications are available for bulimia treatment?
Jun 01, 1998 · The most promising results have been reported in studies investigating the use of fluoxetine in the treatment of bulimia nervosa. 32, 33 In …
How do you help someone with bulimia?
The primary treatment for bulimia often combines psychotherapy, antidepressants, and nutritional counseling. It is helpful to find a psychologist or psychiatrist experienced in …
What are the real facts about bulimia?
Mar 01, 2022 · Using laxatives, enemas, or diuretics (water pills) Purging often brings a sense of relief. People with bulimia are often at a normal weight, but they may see themselves as being overweight. Because the person's weight is often normal, other people may not notice this eating disorder. Symptoms that other people can see include: Compulsive exercise
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What is the treatment of choice for bulimia?
The primary treatment for bulimia often combines psychotherapy, antidepressants, and nutritional counseling. It is helpful to find a psychologist or psychiatrist experienced in dealing with eating disorders.May 17, 2021
What is the most effective treatment for bulimia?
The only antidepressant specifically approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat bulimia is fluoxetine (Prozac), a type of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which may help even if you're not depressed.May 10, 2018
What are 3 treatments for bulimia?
Bulimia is primarily treated with nutrition therapy, psychotherapy (talk therapy), and in some cases medications.Jun 2, 2021
What is the first line treatment for bulimia nervosa?
Although cognitive-behavioral therapy is the first-line treatment of choice for bulimia nervosa, its effectiveness is limited. Approximately 50 percent of patients who receive this therapy stop binge eating and purging.Jun 1, 1998
What happens if you leave bulimia untreated?
If left untreated, bulimia can result in long-term health problems such as abnormal heart rhythms, bleeding from the esophagus due to excessive reflux of stomach acid, dental problems, and kidney problems.Jan 23, 2022
What does bulimia do to your face?
Puffy face People with bulimia nervosa may develop swollen parotid glands because of their repeated purging. These glands are just in front of the ears and may cause swelling in the face.Feb 2, 2016
What are 3 warning signs of bulimia?
What are the Warning Signs of Bulimia?Episodes of binge eating.Self-induced vomiting.Smelling like vomit.Misuse of laxatives and diuretics.Complaining about body image.Expressing guilt or shame about eating.Depression.Irritability.More items...•Oct 16, 2021
Can blood tests show bulimia?
Although there are no laboratory tests to specifically diagnose bulimia, the doctor might use various diagnostic tests, including laboratory values (a blood test), to evaluate the severity of illness or the effects bulimia on the body's organs.Dec 12, 2019
What is the patient with bulimia nervosa?
Overview. Bulimia (boo-LEE-me-uh) nervosa, commonly called bulimia, is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder. People with bulimia may secretly binge — eating large amounts of food with a loss of control over the eating — and then purge, trying to get rid of the extra calories in an unhealthy way.May 10, 2018
How to recover from bulimia?
Recovery from bulimia is a marathon, not a sprint. Changing ingrained bingeing/purging behaviors is hard and you’ll need support. It begins with careful, controlled stabilization.# N#The initial focus in bulimia treatment is to achieve medical and psychiatric stabilization. While many patients suffering with bulimia are a normal weight at the time of admission, some may require weight restoration in addition to other stabilization efforts.#N#Our medical experts understand the urgent need to safely “detox” from bulimia and purging behaviors. Patients that cease purging will often experience abdominal pain and constipation after stopping their laxatives or significant edema, resulting in weight gain. The edema is a consequence of chronic severe volume depletion from loss of fluids (Pseudo-Bartter’s Syndrome). This syndrome is severely worsened by overuse of a rapid infusion of IV saline fluids used in most medical settings (for treatment of low blood pressure, dehydration, hypokalemia and alkalosis), creating a potentially dangerous scenario for patients.#N#As your body begins to heal, then your team at our eating disorder treatment center can begin to help you through the process of healing and lead you to recovery.
Is eating recovery center accredited?
Eating Recovery Center is accredited through the Joint Commission. This organization seeks to enhance the lives of the persons served in healthcare settings through a consultative accreditation process emphasizing quality, value and optimal outcomes of services.
What is the best treatment for bulimia?
Family therapy. Children and young people will usually be offered family therapy . This involves you and your family talking to a therapist, exploring how bulimia has affected you and how your family can support you to get better. You may also be offered CBT, which will be the same as the CBT offered to adults.
How to help bulimia?
You will probably be offered a guided self-help programme as a first step in treating your bulimia. This often involves working through a self-help book combined with sessions with a healthcare professional, such as a therapist.
Can you stay home with bulimia?
Most people with bulimia will be able to stay at home during their treatment . You'll usually have appointments at your clinic and then be able to go home. However, you may be admitted to hospital if you have serious health complications, including: being very underweight. problems with your heart.
What does it mean to be under 18?
being very ill and your life being at risk. being under 18 and your doctors believing you do not have enough support at home. doctors being worried that you might harm yourself or are at risk of suicide. Your doctors will keep a very careful eye on your weight and health if you're being cared for in hospital.
How many sessions of CBT are there?
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) If you are offered CBT, it will usually involve up to 20 sessions across 20 weeks. CBT involves talking to a therapist, who will help you explore emotions and thoughts that could be contributing to your eating disorder, and how you feel about your weight and body shape.
Can you brush your teeth after vomiting?
avoid brushing teeth immediately after vomiting so you do not wear away the enamel. do not drink or eat acidic foods, such as fruit juice, during a binge and after purging. Vomiting can also lead to risk of dehydration. To avoid this, make sure you drink plenty of fluids to replace what you have vomited.
Can you take fluoxetine for bulimia?
Medicine. Antidepressants should not be offered as the only treatment for bulimia. But you may be offered an antidepressant, such as fluoxetine (Prozac), in combination with therapy or self-help treatment, to help you manage other conditions, such as: anxiety or depression. social phobia.
How does psychotherapy help with bulimia?
The largest controlled study on bulimia so far shows that two types of psychotherapy can help individuals stop bingeing and purging : Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps individuals change the unrealistically negative thoughts they have about their appearance and change their eating behaviors.
How to stop binge eating?
The largest controlled study on bulimia so far shows that two types of psychotherapy can help individuals stop bingeing and purging: 1 Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps individuals change the unrealistically negative thoughts they have about their appearance and change their eating behaviors. 2 Interpersonal psychotherapy helps individuals improve the quality of their relationships, learn how to address conflicts head-on and expand their social networks.
How to evaluate bulimia nervosa?
In the present managed care environment, hospitalization for patients with bulimia nervosa is no longer readily available. It has become especially important to determine a treatment approach that will be effective as quickly as possible. 3 The physician needs to know when inpatient treatment is or is not indicated. A comprehensive evaluation provides the rationale for this judgment and includes the following: 1 Standardized testing to document the patient's general personality features, characterologic disturbance and attitudes about eating, body size and weight. 2 A complete history of the patient's body weight, eating patterns and attempts at weight loss, including typical daily food intake, methods of purging and perceived ideal weight. 3 An investigation of the patient's interpersonal history and functioning, including family dynamics, peer relationships, and present or past physical, sexual or emotional abuse. 4 An evaluation of medical and psychiatric comorbidity, as well as documentation of previous attempts at treatment.
What is a bulimia nervosa?
Bulimia nervosa is characterized by binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors, such as vomiting, fasting, excessive exercise and the misuse of diuretics, laxatives or enemas . Although the etiology of this disorder is unknown, genetic and neurochemical factors have been implicated. Bulimia nervosa is 10 times more common in females ...
What are the complications of bulimia nervosa?
Serious medical complications of bulimia nervosa are uncommon, but patients may suffer from dental erosion, swollen salivary glands, oral and hand trauma, gastrointestinal irritation and electrolyte imbalances ( especially of potassium, calcium, sodium and hydrogen chloride).
What are the factors that contribute to Bulimia nervosa?
Other predisposing factors include psychologic and personality factors, such as perfectionism, impaired self-concept, affective instability, poor impulse control and an absence of adaptive functioning to maturational tasks and developmental stressors (e.g., puberty, peer and parental relationships, sexuality, marriage and pregnancy).
What are the diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa?
The diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa ( Table 1) now include subtypes to distinguish patients who compensate for binge eating by purging (vomiting and/or the abuse of laxatives and diuretics) from those who use non-purging behaviors (e.g., fasting or excessive exercising). 1
What is the most common way to vomit?
Self-induced vomiting, the most common means of purging , is used by more than 75 percent of patients with bulimia nervosa. 19 Most patients vomit immediately or soon after a binge. During the binge, they commonly drink excessive fluids to “float the food” and facilitate regurgitation.
What is the physical exam for bulimia nervosa?
The examination should include vital signs and an evaluation of height and weight relative to age. The physician should also look for general hair loss, lanugo, abdominal tenderness, acrocyanosis (cyanosis of the extremities), jaundice, edema, parotid gland tenderness or enlargement, and scars on the dorsum of the hand.
What is the best treatment for bulimia?
The primary treatment for bulimia often combines psychotherapy, anti depressants, and nutritional counseling. It is helpful to find a psychologist or psychiatrist experienced in dealing with eating disorders.
How to help bulimics?
Body exercises such as yoga, tai chi, qigong, and dance can help bulimics with their problems of body image. Reprogramming mental processes to gain control over the binge-and-purge cycles is another approach. Either hypnotherapy or EEG biofeedback may help.
What is the difference between cognitive and psychotherapy?
Cognitive therapy focuses on exploring and countering the negative thoughts that underlie destructive habits. Individual or group psychotherapy focuses on the underlying emotional experiences and relationships that have contributed to the bulimia.
Who can help with eating disorders?
Clinics that specialize in eating disorders can often provide psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and nutritionists. All therapists involved should work in close cooperation with one another.
Can hypnotherapy help with bulimia?
Either hypnotherapy or EEG biofeedback may help. If you seek help here, be sure to ask hypnotherapists or biofeedback practitioners about their experience in treating eating disorders. And again, tell your doctor and other therapists about the care you get. Nutrition and Diet's Role in Bulimia Treatment.
How often do you eat bulimia?
Symptoms. In bulimia, eating binges may occur as often as several times a day for many months. People with bulimia often eat large amounts of high-calorie foods, usually in secret. People can feel a lack of control over their eating during these episodes.
Why do women have bulimia?
The disorder is most common in adolescent girls and young women. The affected person is usually aware that her eating pattern is abnormal and may feel fear or guilt with the binge-purge episodes. The exact cause of bulimia is unknown.
How to tell if you have a symtom?
Symptoms that other people can see include: 1 Compulsive exercise 2 Suddenly eating large amounts of food or buying large amounts of food that disappear right away 3 Regularly going to the bathroom right after meals 4 Throwing away packages of laxatives, diet pills, emetics (drugs that cause vomiting), or diuretics
Diagnosis
Clinical Trials
Lifestyle and Home Remedies
Alternative Medicine
Specialist to consult
Coping and Support
- If your primary care provider suspects you have bulimia, he or she will typically: 1. Talk to you about your eating habits, weight-loss methods and physical symptoms 2. Do a physical exam 3. Request blood and urine tests 4. Request a test that can identify problems with your heart (elect…
Preparing For Your Appointment
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