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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Feb 26.
Published in final edited form as: Curr Psychiatr. 2012 May;11(5):32–39.

Table 1.

Treatment Primary Outcome
Medication Only
Brennan et al., 2008 Memantine (5–20 mg/d) open label for 12 weeks Memantine associated with decreased binge frequency and related psychological features of binge eating (BE) in open label trial
Guerdjikova et al., 2008 Escitalopram 10–30 mg/d vs. placebo for 12 weeks Escitalopram significantly better than placebo in reducing weight, BMI, illness severity
Guerdjikova et al. 2009 Lamotrigine 50–400 mg/d vs. placebo for 16 weeks Lamotrigine not significantly different from placebo
McElroy et al., 2006 Zonisamide 100–600 mg/d vs. placebo for 16 weeks Zonasamide significantly better than placebo in reducing BE, weight, BMI, various aspects of unhealthy eating behavior
McElroy, Guerdjikova et al., 2007 Atomoxetine 40–120 mg/d vs. placebo for 10 weeks Atomoxetine significantly better than placebo in reducing BE, weight, BMI, obsessive-compulsive features of binge eating, and in remission
McElroy, Hudson et al., 2007 Topiramate 25–400 mg/d vs. placebo for 16 weeks Topiramate significantly better than placebo in reducing BE, weight, BMI, and related psychological features of BE
Wilfley et al., 2008 Sibutramine 15 mg/d vs. placebo for 24 weeks Sibutramine significantly better than placebo in reducing BE, weight, BMI, and related psychological features of BE
Behavioral Only
Annunziato et al., 2009 2 Groups received CBT and hypocaloric diet for 8 weeks followed by 14 weeks of either: Group 1: Enhanced nutritional program (i.e., reduced consumption of high energy density foods and once daily liquid meal replacement) G2: Control (normal diet) Enhanced nutritional program not significantly different than control in reducing weight, BE, or related psychological features of BE; variability in adherence to the enhanced nutritional program was identified as a significant effect modifier
Ashton et al., 2009 4 sessions of group CBT in open trial CBT associated with significant reductions in BE and related psychological features of BE in post-bariatric surgery patients
Cassin et al., 2008 Self-help book + motivational interviewing (SH-MI) vs. Self-help book alone (SH) for 16 weeks SH-MI significantly better than SH in reducing BE and depression
Dingemans et al., 2007 CBT vs. waitlist control CBT significantly better than waitlist in reducing BE and related psychological features of BE, and in achieving abstinence from BE
Friederich et al., 2007 15-session CBT supplemented with nutritional counseling and supervised walking program; no control group Treatment significantly reduced weight, BE, and related psychological features of BE in patients meeting sub-threshold and full criteria for BE disorder
Grilo & Masheb, 2005 Guided self-help CBT (CBTgsh) vs. Guided self-help behavioral weight loss (BWLgsh) vs. non-specific attention control for 12 weeks CBTgsh significantly better than BWLgsh and control in BE remission; CBTgsh significantly better than BWLgsh, which was significantly better than control, in reducing cognitive restraint; CBTgsh significantly better than control in reducing depression and eating related psychopathology; no differences between groups in BMI change
Ricca et al., 2010 Individual (I-CBT) vs. group CBT (G-CBT) for 24 weeks in patients meeting sub-threshold and full criteria for BE disorder BE and BMI significantly reduced in both groups at 24 weeks and 3-yr follow up. I-CBT not better than G-CBT in reducing BE or weight at 24 weeks or 3-yr follow up; I-CBT significantly better than G-CBT in reducing eating related psychopathology at 24 weeks and 3-yr follow up; I-CBT significantly better than G-CBT in recovery (i.e., no longer meeting full BE disorder criteria) at 24 weeks but not at 3-yr follow up
Schlup et al., 2009 8 weekly sessions of group CBT vs. waitlist control CBT significantly better than waitlist control in reducing BE and eating concerns and in achieving abstinence at end of treatment; CBT not different than control in reducing BMI; treatment-related reductions in BE and eating concerns maintained at 12-month follow up
Shapiro et al., 2007 10 weekly sessions of group CBT (G-CBT) vs. CD-ROM delivered CBT (CD-CBT) vs. waitlist control G-CBT and CD-DBT not different from each other but both significantly better than waitlist control in reducing BE
Tasca et al., 2006 Group CBT (G-CBT) vs. Group psychodynamic interpersonal therapy (G-IPT) vs. waitlist control for 16 weeks G-CBT and G-IPT not different from each other; G-CBT and G-IPT significantly better than waitlist control in reducing BE, cognitive restraint, and interpersonal problems but not BMI; depression significantly reduced in both groups at 6 months but only in G-IPT at 12-month follow up; reductions in BE maintained at 12-month follow up
Wilson et al., 2010 10 sessions of guided self-help CBT (CBTgsh) vs. 20 sessions of interpersonal therapy (IPT) vs. 20 sessions of behavioral weight loss (BWL) over 6 months BWL significantly better than IPT and CBTgsh in reducing BMI and in number of patients achieving 5% weight loss at post-treatment but effects not sustained over time; BWL significantly better than CBTgsh in increasing dietary restraint
Medication Plus Behavioral
Brambilla et al., 2009 3 Groups treated for 6 months:

  • Group 1: CBT + topiramate (25–150 mg/d) + reduced calorie diet

  • Group 2: CBT + sertraline (50–150 mg/d) + reduced calorie diet

  • Group 3: CBT + nutritional counseling

 Weight, BMI, and related psychological features of BE reduced significantly in Group 1 only
Claudino et al., 2007

  • Group 1: CBT + topiramate

  • Group 2: CBT + placebo 19 sessions over 21 weeks

 Significant reductions in BE and depression in both groups; topiramate significantly better than placebo in reducing weight and in BE remission
Devlin et al., 2005 4 Groups, all received behavioral weight control intervention for 16 weeks plus either:

  • Group 1: CBT + fluoxetine

  • Group 2: CBT + placebo

  • Group 3: Fluoxetine

  • Group 4: Placebo (fluoxetine dose 20–60 mg/d)

 CBT (group 1 and 2) significantly better than non-CBT groups (3 and 4) in reducing BE and achieving abstinence from BE; fluoxetine significantly better than placebo in reducing depression
Golay et al., 2005 Hypocaloric diet + orlistat (120 mg/d) vs. Hypocaloric diet + placebo for 24 weeks Orlistat not different from placebo in reducing the number of patients classified with BED; orlistat significantly better than placebo in reducing weight and body fat
Molinari et al., 2005 3 Groups, all received nutritional and diet counseling for 12 months plus either:

  • Group 1: CBT

  • Group 2: Fluoxetine

  • Group 3: CBT + fluoxetine

 At 12 months, CBT (Group 1 and 3) associated with lower BE frequency and greater % weight loss than fluoxetine