EXPERT ANALYSIS AT THE ANNUAL ADVANCES IN INTERNAL MEDICINE<\/p>\n
SAN FRANCISCO (FRONTLINE MEDICAL NEWS)<\/span> \u2013 For patients who meet criteria for binge eating and who express a desire to lose weight, topiramate or lisdexamfetamine are effective treatment options, according to Judith Walsh, MD.<\/p>\n \u201cBinge eating is the most common eating disorder in the United States,\u201d Dr. Walsh said at the UCSF Annual Advances in Internal Medicine meeting. \u201cThe lifetime prevalence is 3.5% in women, compared with 2% in men, and 5%-30% of affected women are obese.\u201d <\/p>\n According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), the condition is characterized by binge eating episodes during which patients consume larger amounts of food than most people would under similar circumstances. \u201cThey feel a lack control over eating, [the notion that] \u2018I\u2019m eating and I can\u2019t stop,\u2019\u201d said Dr. Walsh<\/a> <\/span> of the UCSF division of internal medicine and the Women\u2019s Center for Excellence. Affected patients engage in the behavior of binge eating more than once per week over a period of at least 3 months, and the episodes typically last fewer than 2 hours. <\/p>\n While therapist-led cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is generally considered to be the mainstay of treatment for binge eating disorder, guidelines from the American Psychiatric Association<\/a> <\/span> and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence<\/a> <\/span> are conflicting, she said. <\/p>\n