Will Lexapro help with binge eating disorder?

I also have a binge eating disorder, depression and have been on Lexapro since August and feel amazing, have lost about 20lbs. I do not overeat anymore, rarely snack at night, eat one helping at dinner, lunch. I do not deprive myself to anything, but just don't eat everything in sight anymore. I used to say I have seasonal depression and never gave antidepressants a chance, but now I will always be on it!

I know your post is old, but for anyone else that is curious I thought I'd answer this question. I used to binge eat, as a result of anxiety/OCD and Lexapro has stopped this. I have now lost weight on this drug and only eat when I really need to. This drug has done wonders for me.

I have suffered with anxiety and depression for over 15 years and I've taken all kinds of antidepressants which all made me gain weight and cause my anxiety to become worse. Also the weight gain caused me to become even more depressed. I stopped all the antidepressants and decided that taking antianxiety meds worked much better for me. I take xanax and I've taken it for over 10 years (only stopping while I was pregnant) but my depression isn't nearly as bad as it was when I was taking the antidepressants. They just made everything worse. As for the binge eating try a different medication such as vyvanse which is what it's prescribed for. If you don't want to try vyvanse go on a diet. Good luck

I am also a college student and I have been dealing with some very similar things that you are going through. My doctor put me on vyvanse which was actually the first approved drug for BED. I have found it very effective and I have also found that it often lessens my anxiety and makes me feel less depressed. Maybe talk to your doctor about that?

ROB; YES this should help just as the other 2 post say the problem is in most cases anxiety and depression. Just remember if your just starting Lexapro for the first couple of weeks you may get some side effects then those ones go away.Then slowly over the period of another 4 to 6 weeks you should start to feel better and that is when you reach the full blood level of this medication but you do start to get some relief Normally anywhere during the treatment. Good Luck,

Hi rob- Binge eating can be associated with the anxiety and depression. WCV is right that one can lead to another. I have heard good things about Lexapro working for all the areas that you mentioned. You will have to try it to know if it is going to work. You can always post here to share your journey. Best to you, hope it all works out :)

Hi, ROB! Actually, binge eating is generally associated with anxiety which in turn is often associated with... you guessed it... depression. And yes, an article in Current Psychiatry reported that in several placebo-controlled studies Lexapro was significantly more effective (as well as being an excellent treatment for depression/anxiety) in controlling binge eating than the placebo.
I never had that problem myself, but Lexapro worked very well for me in treating my depression.
I wish you you all the best with this and your studies, WCV