Methylphenidate treatment of bulimia nervosa after surgery.

Methylphenidate (MPT) was prescribed four days after an uncomplicated appendectomy in a 27 year old woman who had suffered from bulimia nervosa (BN) for at least nine years. Before the onset of appendicitis, her bingeing and self-induced vomiting had occurred several times daily. With MPT the patient reported a calm emotional state and an absence of temptation to binge or to induce vomiting. Previously published reports of treatment of BN with MPT could not be found. This may be the first. Vulnerability to surgical disorders and to postoperative complications as well as the safety and efficacy of MPT in patients suffering from BN deserve further study.