BINGE-EATING DISORDER - RESPONSE TO NALTREXONE

Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by a bulimic binge eating pattern without the compensatory behaviors of purging or laxative abu se. It is often associated with obesity. The treatment response charac teristics are more like bulimia than other forms of obesity. We have s hown the opiate antagonist naltrexone to attenuate bulimia nervosa in controlled clinical trials.' We report here a response to naltrexone i n a subject with BED similar to that previously reported for the large r population of bulimic subjects. Three consecutive periods of drug, p lacebo and double dose drug were used, with the order of the first two periods double blind until after the data analysis. Symptoms were red uced in the naltrexone compared to placebo period. Statistical signifi cance was demonstrated using time series analysis for this 'n of one' study. Psychotherapy was carried out throughout all periods. Naltrexon e plus psychotherapy may be more efficient than psychotherapy alone.