Hey rant away if it helps i just wish i could offer you some help and advise but im kidding myself at the moment that im ok so probably not the best person to be passing on advise.

I have found that the antidepressants help me with the obsessive thoughts over food and the urge to purge. I a currently on Wellbutrin XL and it has really helped me without really any side effects. No, weight gain, like many antidepressants, and no sexual side effects. Believe me I have tryed a load of antidepressants, and other horrible drugs. I also beleive that therapy must go with the antidepressant. The antidepressant is like a band-aid and people need to do some of the work. The problem is that people are lazy and dont want to work to get better.

There are meds that help. They just depend on whether or not they work for you. That's part of the problem with meds, it is like fitting puzzle pieces. And some of them they aren't going to prescribe if you're weight is unstable, because some cause weight loss.

Meds:

Prozac: SSRI commonly used to treat bulimia. Yes, it is an antidepressant, but for some people it can help restore a healthy level of hunger. (And that's for some people. Like I said, puzzle piece. For others, it'll cause an increase in appetite. It is all a gamble.)

And keep in mind that just because one SSRI doesn't work for you, another might. Going with my puzzle piece analogy, mainly because I can't get it out of my head... think of a piece that has the same basic shape as the last med you tried, but that one extra prong that fits you completely.

Then there are meds like Topamax and Zonegran. Anti-epileptics and off-label mood stabilizers/migraine drugs. They cause a lack of binging by increasing a feeling of fullness, a lack of desire to binge, and sometimes a lack of desire for those binge foods (carbs and dairy). These are more likely to be prescribed to someone with binge eating disorder, just because they can cause weight loss due to lack of eating, as opposed to the antidepressants which may help keep weight generally stable. However, these meds CAN be prescribed alongside an SSRI or tricyclic antidepressant, so it may be worth a shot talking to your doctor about it.

I know that therapy is even better than the meds. I am in therapy also. They would not put me on Wellbutrin, said it was not for people with ED. I am on effexor, which does not make me tired, very important to me. It seems to be ok. I don't think people are "lazy" It's hard and not to mention SCARY digging into yourself and facing core issues. It's not laziness, it's just easier to self medicate, whether it be food, purging, restricting, drugs, alcohol, etc. People are use to the quick fix and what's easy. It does not make them lazy. I am not saying I want a miracle pill to take it all away, although that would be awesome, I am just saying I wish there was something to help the urges while your digging deep into yourself.

The "band-aid" approach is rather important when it comes to bulimia, though - considering that every time you binge and purge you're risking your life. Being on meds to help you stop means you have a shot to keep you in therapy in the first place. That's just my thoughts, at any rate.

Actually, antidepressant don't exactly "fix" the ED itself, but it is suppose to help. It helps aid in your level of serotonin. That neurotransmitter has a huge impact on ur mood stability, that is why some of these drugs are called SSRI'S selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, they increase your levels of serotonin, so maybe if u feel happier you the "urge" to binge is not as persistant. also, this medication is common in aiding to behaviors with OCD and some forms of anxiety. It helps to give a bit more calming effect so you don't always feel the need to have these constant urges as frequently as they may ordinarily occur. As, with most people w/ eating d/o's they may aquire that prob.

I wish for a med or magic bullet for EDs, and although EDs do have to do with chemical imbalances, a lot of it really has to do with past trauma or emotional distress. So there is really no "drug" for that, you know? Best thing is to find a therapist you REALLY trust to talk to.

Prozac really helped my bulimia!! It got rid of the compulsive desire to binge and purge. (I was still slightly obssessed over food, but no desire to b/p at all!!) The only problem was even at the lowest effective dose it made me sooo sleepy all day. I also had the deepest sleep at night. I would sleep through phone calls and my alarm. If I did nothing all day this would be fine, however I'm a full time law student and I have a part time legal job and I can't afford to sleep all day. I lost a bit of weight on it but nothing significant, just some of the extra I put on with the previous bout of bulimia. I heard that if you use prozac with a small dose of a stimulant like ritalin it doesn't make you as sleepy, but my doctor wouldn't prescribe it to me so I stopped taking the prozac and started on welbutrin which didn't have any effect on me at all. I also tried Topamax, which worked for couple of days, but then required a higher dosage and soon the dosage became so high that the side effects were unbearable. It literally makes you stupid. You forget words, and it can even affect your speech. The first time I quit bulimia (and the longest period of recovery) I did it cold turkey with no help... just a lot of positive thought. It's hard though.

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prozac helps with impulse control