Yorkshire volunteers wanted for nasal spray which could break binge/purge bulimia cycle

Bulimia nervosa is difficult to treat but new hope surrounds a drug more commonly used on the frontline of emergency medicine
Bulimia mainly affects females, aged between 16 and 40 and typically starts at around the age of 19.Bulimia mainly affects females, aged between 16 and 40 and typically starts at around the age of 19.
Bulimia mainly affects females, aged between 16 and 40 and typically starts at around the age of 19.

A nasal spray currently used to reverse the effects of a drug overdose could have a role to play in the treatment of bulimia nervosa.

Naloxone, an opioid blocker, has been used in emergency medicine for some time, but small studies have shown it might be able to help people with the eating disorder.

“In recent years, the number of people being diagnosed with eating disorders such as bulimia has risen,” said Maggie Adu, head of patient recruitment at MAC Clinical Research.“With current methods of treatment offering anti-depressant therapy combined with cognitive behavioural therapy, there is a vast and unmet need for medication to support people affected by the condition.”

Bulimia is a serious mental illness in which people are caught in a cycle of eating large quantities of food, or binging, then trying to compensate for it by purging. This might take the form of vomiting, taking laxatives or diuretics, fasting or exercising excessively.

This binge/purge cycle can dominate daily life, lead to difficulties in relationships and social situations, and can have a serious long-term physical effect.

If untreated, it can cause damage to teeth, vocal chords and throat, as well the intestines and stomach. People with the condition are always at increased risk of heart problems and kidney damage.

Recent studies have shown that up to eight per cent of women will have bulimia at some stage of their life.

Bulimia mainly affects females, aged between 16 and 40 and typically starts at around the age of 19.

The causes of the condition are not fully understood, and treatment tends to focus on psychotherapy. Anti-depressants may also be prescribed, there are few pharmacological options.

Now, small studies have shown that naloxone may be well positioned to fill that gap, thanks to the way it interacts with the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is part of the body’s reward system.

The patient is advised to use the nasal spray when they feel the urge to binge, and this blocks the dopamine signals, and breaks the binge/purge cycle.

“The reward from binging on foods comes from the ingestion of food high in sugar, fat or salt. They activate the opioid system in the brain through the release of the body’s own endorphins when they are eaten,” said Maggie.

“This activation of the brain’s opioid system is thought to cause the release of dopamine, and that’s what causes the reward sensation.”

It’s early days for the treatment, though, and more studies are needed before we can know for sure it will be effective.

That’s why MAC is currently running a study, and is looking for volunteers to take part the 12-week trial that hopes to go some way to finding answers.

Maggie said the research company was looking for women with a diagnosis of bulimia, aged between 18 and 60 and experiencing at least one binging episode a week.

“There’ll be up to a total of four visits to one of the MAC clinics in Barnsley, Blackpool, Cannock, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester or Stockton and two phone calls from a study physician,” she said.

Volunteers will receive £130 in store vouchers and reasonable travel expenses.

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