Placebo-controlled trial of sertraline in the treatment of binge eating disorder.

OBJECTIVE

The authors' goal was to assess the efficacy of sertraline in the treatment of binge eating disorder.

METHOD

Thirty-four outpatients with DSM-IV binge eating disorder were randomly assigned to receive either sertraline (N=18) or placebo (N=16) in a 6-week, double-blind, flexible-dose (50-200 mg) study. Except for response level, outcome measures were analyzed by random regression methods, with treatment-by-time interaction as the effect measure.

RESULTS

Compared with placebo, sertraline was associated with a significantly greater rate of reduction in the frequency of binges, clinical global severity, and body mass index as well as a significantly greater rate of increase in clinical global improvement. Patients receiving sertraline who completed the study demonstrated a higher level of response, although the effect was not significant.

CONCLUSIONS

In a 6-week trial, sertraline was effective and well tolerated in the treatment of binge eating disorder.