Pharmacotherapy for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa

Psychotherapy is the treatment of choice for both anorexia nervosa and for bulimia nervosa. However, many patients are also treated by pharmaceutical drugs. For the clinician it is difficult to choose pharmacotherapy, because the drugs may not be licensed, because of pharmacodynamic problems due to underweight or purging behaviour, or because of comorbidity. The present review summarises the current knowledge on pharmacotherapy for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa considering the available guidelines. In general, the knowledge based on studies is insufficient for anorexia nervosa. Up to now, there is no proof of efficacy for any antidepressant or atypical antipsychotic with respect to weight gain; atypical antipsychotics may be helpful for ruminating or excessive motor hyperactivity. For bulimia nervosa antidepressants are the pharmacotherapy of first choice. Long-term effects, however, are still unknown.