Doctors are already using weight loss drugs to treat binge eating disorder. But some experts warn that it’s a Band-Aid, not a fix.
People taking drugs like Ozempic say their appetites evaporate. The constant “food noise” in their heads — wondering what they’ll eat next, and when — goes quiet.
Now, scientists are exploring whether those powerful effects could translate into a treatment for binge eating disorder, the most common eating disorder in the United States.
Binge eating disorder traps people in an agonizing cycle: They eat a large amount of food in a short amount of time, past the point of feeling full and sometimes until they are in pain. They feel guilty and ashamed. Then they binge again. Scientists aren’t entirely sure what causes the condition, but one theory is that binge eating is a compulsive behavior, involving the same brain circuits that help us form habits and contribute to addiction.
Medications like Ozempic — originally developed to treat diabetes and now widely used for weight loss — can transform how the brain responds to food. That’s why researchers think these drugs hold such promise to treat binge eating disorder, said Trevor Steward, a University of Melbourne researcher who is running one of the first studies to test the drugs in people with the condition. The hope is that the new generation of drugs can give people newfound control over the impulse to binge.
So far, the evidence that these drugs can help with binge eating disorder is largely anecdotal. But patients are already taking the medications for this purpose — and some they say they’re working.
“There was something missing in my brain, and it’s fixed now,” said Joanie Smith, 66, who has taken Ozempic since 2022. She tried Jenny Craig, WeightWatchers, even hypnosis, but nothing fully helped with her bingeing until she took the drug.