The prescription drug Adderall is used to treat narcolepsy and hyperactivity, but people who struggle with eating disorders have begun using the drug for weight loss. This type of misuse is dangerous - and potentially deadly.

"While it is a stimulant, it has a calming effect on patients. But if abused, it can raise blood pressure and heart rate - which can be fatal."

Dr. Mary Tantillo, director of the Eating Disorder Center at the University of Rochester, has seen this type of drug abuse in her patients. Taken in high doses, Adderall has effects similar to cocaine, with the same potential for lethal overdoses. Source: WHAM Channel 13 News (NY)

Labels: abuse, adhd, drugs

Bulimia, an eating disorder characterized by binging and purging food, is five times more common among girls who have been sexually abused, according to a new study from Australia. Researchers at the University of Melbourne found no connection between sexual abuse and anorexia nervosa, another common eating disorder.

Dr. George Patton and his colleagues looked at the records of 999 girls over a three-year period, beginning when the girls were about 15 years old. Within that group, 121 reported being sexually abused at least once before age 16, and 82 reported two or more such incidents. The girls in the latter group had a 4.9 times higher risk for bulimia.

American studies from 2000 and 2004 found no clear link between childhood sexual abuse and eating disorders.

Dr. Patton said that sexual abuse might start up a pattern of dealing with emotional distress that results in bulimia.

This study appears in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Labels: abuse, causes of eating disorders, emotions