Bulimia: Treatment, Procedure, Cost and Side Effects

Medicines. Antidepressants, such as fluoxetine (Prozac, for example), are sometimes used to reduce binge-purge cycles and relieve symptoms of depression that often occur along with eating disorders. They work best when combined with counseling. Psychological counseling. Two types of counseling are useful in treating bulimia. They are cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT). In CBT you learn how to change negative thoughts that you may have about food, your weight, your body, or beliefs about yourself. In IPT you learn how relationships-and feelings about those relationships-affect binge eating and purging. The goals of CBT are: To use nutritional counseling to help you learn how to eat three meals and two snacks a day and avoid unhealthy diets. To reduce concern about your body weight and shape. To understand and reduce triggers of binge eating by examining your relationships and emotions. To develop a plan to learn proper coping skills to prevent future relapses. The goals of IPT are: To identify relationships that are connected to binge eating and purging. To learn how emotions that come up from these relationships are related to binge eating and purging. To help correct these relationship patterns, so that you won't binge eat or purge in response to bad feelings.

Since negative body image and poor self-esteem are often the underlying factors at the root of bulimia, it is important that therapy is integrated into the recovery process. Treatment for bulimia nervosa usually includes: Discontinuing the binge-purge cycle: The initial phase of treatment for bulimia nervosa involves breaking this harmful cycle and restoring normal eating behaviors. Improving negative thoughts: The next phase of bulimia treatment concentrates on recognizing and changing irrational beliefs about weight, body shape, and dieting. Resolving emotional issues: The final phase of bulimia treatment focuses on healing from emotional issues that may have caused the eating disorder. Treatment may address interpersonal relationships and can include cognitive behavior therapy, dialectic behavior therapy, and other related therapies.

Treatment for an eating disorder will depend on the specifics of the disorder and will be tailored to each individual. Generally, the goals of eating disorder treatment are to restore the person to a healthy weight, treat any psychological problems related to or coexisting with the disorder, and reduce behaviors or thoughts that contribute to the eating disorder. Treatment must address all aspects of the disorder, including psychological and medical components. Continuing therapy may be needed to prevent relapse and treat related psychological problems.

There is no straightforward test for bulimia and no universally agreed treatment path or medication that provides a cure. The first step is taking with your doctor and asking for help. Eating disorders are complex. A person with an eating disorder will very often also experience depression, anxiety and a lack of self worth. While your doctor may not be an expert in treating eating disorders, they will be able to assess any physical problems resulting from your eating disorder and can also help you to contact specialist eating disorder services.

The side effects include abnormal bowel functioning, bloating, dehydration, fainting, seizure, fatigue, dry skin, irregular heartbeat.

The post-treatment guidelines are suggested by the doctor and are usually a series of do's and don'ts for the patient to follow in order to not relapse.

The treatment differs form patient to patient and the recovery time can go from a year to 10 years, It all depends on the patient and the support the patient gets,

Rs. 500 to Rs. 2,000

The results depend on the patient. If there is a complete change in the patient's mindset then the results are permanent. If not then there is a high chance of a relapse.

Most alternative therapies for bulimia do not address the root causes of the disorder, but they can be helpful in relieving some of the physical distress resulting from it. If you want to include this type of treatment in your recovery, it is important to consult practitioners who are experienced in dealing with eating disorders. Remember to tell your doctors and therapists about any complementary therapy you receive.