Oxcarbazepine for the treatment of binge eating disorder: a case series

We present a case series of nine obese outpatients with a diagnosis of binge eating disorder who were treated with a flexible dose of the anticonvulsant oxcarbazepine. The drug has not previously been used to treat this disorder. Five patients dropped out at various points of the study, giving only fragmented data. Where data were available, all patients reported side effects (n=7) and some showed a reduction (n=4) or no change (n=3) in binge episode frequency. Some patients lost weight over the study period (n=3; range, 3–5 kg); others showed no change (n=2) or an increase in weight (n=3; range, 1.8–2.9 kg). Our results were inconsistent, but the drug was effective for some patients who showed marked impulsivity in eating behaviours and depressive symptoms.