Prescription Diet Aids

Many Diet Pills Come with Side Effects

The sad things about most diet pills is that they just about all come with some sort of unsavory side effect.  Especially the heavy hitters, the ones you have to go to a doc to get the prescription for. It seems that almost every big weightloss drug that’s been put on the market is either found to have serious side effects and taken off the market later, or is forced to put huge warnings on the product.

Heck, look at Alli (orlistat), the nonprescription sister of the prescription weightloss drug Xenical.  This one is notorious because of its potentially embarrassing and very uncomfortable side effect. It is known for producing water stool and diarrhea when too much fat is taken in.

People have literally gone in their pants with this stuff and had leakage, so that’s pretty unsavory and has prevented a lot of people from staying on it very long.  Then there are the heavy hitters like Meridia which I believe was finally taken off the market because of potential heart problems.

And who can forget the Phen Fen disaster? People actually lost their lives due to this lethal combination of prescription diet drugs. Heart problems were also associated with the drug, which is a shame because it was actually effective for weight loss. There are of course herbal phentermine options available and the one part of the drug, phentermine I believe is still available on the market for prescription use.

Then you have some problems even with the OTC stuff or stuff you can buy on the internet that’s herbal or all natural. First off, there have been a couple of scandals about “herbal” products actually containing potentially dangerous and interactive prescription drugs.

Second off, there have been scandals about some of the herbs and ingredients themselves. Consider the ephedrine ban. Ephedrine was linked to heart issues such as rapid heartbeat, arrhythmia and other problems associated with the fact that it tended to make the heart beat too fast.

Of course, this is the same reason it kept the appetite down, because it had you on “speed” motion all day long!  I know a lot of the herbal diet pills out there now give me that “shaky” feeling, like I’m going to pass out, or like I just can’t calm down.

Some of them even have made me feel sick, like I’m going to throw up. Sure, they’ve killed my appetite, but at what cost? Making me feel like crap all day?  These are all reasons that I’ve consistently turned to non-stimulant diet aids like carb cutters and hoodia appetite suppressants. They help me to get that extra “willpower” to not eat so much without making me a nervous, jittery mess!

Topamax for Weight Loss : Off Label Use

Topamax is a well known anti depressant medication that is labeled for people that have epileptic seizures (it is in the anticonvulsant class of medications). However, as with many other drugs, this one can wear more than one hat, but how safe is it to use Topamax for other things, and for how long a period is it really safe to use this type of a drug, which undoubtedly alters something in the way your brain chemistry is working?

Topamax has garnered some buzz as being great for weightloss as well, however, some say the side effects that Topamax may offer is not worth the weight you may lose. 

Why does Topamax help you lose weight exactly, if it’s not really a diet pill, but an anti seizure drug?  Well, a lot of people that are on the drug report that it almost completely eliminates the appetite. People say that either they suddenly just don’t want to eat, or when they do eat, food tastes really flavorless to them, making them not feel the need to eat as much.

Some people have reported pretty dramatic weight loss in short periods of time while using Topamax for weight loss, which is an off-lable use that the product can be used for as long as it is prescribed for this by a Doctor.  It can be a pretty effective diet pill, but can also yield some rather alarming side effects as you’re dropping some pounds. 

Some of the side effects reported while on Topamax are numbness in the extremities (which makes sense since it dulls the nerve passages in the brain which typically contribute to convulsions), slow reaction, difficulty concentrating, children born with cleft palate, nervousness, mood swings, irritability, agressive behavior and quite a few more.

It is not only used for weight loss, seizure prevention and migraines, but it can also be used to treat alcoholics and smokers and is useful to help people cut free of their addictions, which may explain why it is so effective as an appetite suppressant.

Topamax is a Doctor prescribed medication that you must have a Doctor sign off on, and you really must have the doctor know for what purpose you need it so your side effects can be monitored. Some of the potential side effects are really no joke.

Diet Drug by Arena and Cancer Linked

An experimental diet pill by drug company Arena sadly is showing in lab tests on rats that it is causing tumors, meaning that it is not going to be considered safe for human consumption (duh).  This is one of many new diet drugs that have failed tests of safety as well as tests of effectiveness, which is supposed to make people lose about 5% more of their body weight with the help of the drug versus placebo alone.

What I find most disturbing is that there was no mention that this drug was not going to be, under any circumstances, approved for circulation. But I’m sure that’s gotta be the case, especially since the drug, called Lorcaserin, did not even fulfill fully the requirement that it cause a 5% more weight loss in subjects that were obese and taking the drug as opposed to those that were on a placebo.

A few other diet drugs that were proposed to go to market in the desperate void of safe diet drugs that work to both suppress appetite and help people burn fat better, were also declined for dispensation after years in development and high hopes for their approval due to other safety issues.

It seems that we really don’t have any other options other than some great herbal diet supplements that are always at our disposal for appetite suppression and good old fashioned patience and discipline in what we eat as well as how often and how hard we exercise.

That’s always going to work. There are unfortunately no easy ways out for great weight loss and optimal health, not without serious consequences at least. In the end, it’s all up to you and your fitness level as well as your ability to eat the right foods as to what you will look and feel like for the rest of your life. That’s why we must make the right choices today and tomorrow on what we eat and how we choose to live our lives.

Meridia on the Skids Again

The popular diet drug Meridia has been a questionable diet drug for some time now, and there are new calls now to recall this diet drug due to the potential for some pretty serious health conditions that affect the heart as well as increase risk of stroke.

Heart and stroke risks are often associated, because any drug or lifestyle habit or diet that affects the way the blood flows through the body and the thinness or thickness of the blood, so to speak, can have an effect on both the heart’s health as well as the blood vessels in the brain which can rupture and cause a stroke.

Apparently the study, which was actually funded by Abbott Labratories, which is ironically the maker of the drugs (hey, I gotta give them props, because the outcome of the study shows an increased risk of their popular drug), shows a correlation between an increased risk of stroke and heart attacks in patients that already have predispositions toward these issues.

Now, while that’s not a smoking gun that this drug alone caused the potentially life threatening problem on it’s own but instead had some help from good old genetics, it’s still not good for the consumer protection groups who want all drugs to be 100% safe. Unfortunately that’s just not possible, but of course we want to get as close to that as we can. Heck, even acetominophen and ibuprofen have been linked to certain health issues, if you want to be a real stickler.

The bad part is that the drug Meridia has already been pulled from the market in Europe, where they are notoriously more open to new drugs, therapies and treatments than the stringent US FDA is. So you know that there have to be some real health concerns connected with taking this diet product.

Some are recommending that the diet pill stay on the market because it is relatively effective for weight loss in overweight patients, but only that it not be prescribed to those with known heart problems, or perhaps patients are required to get screened for these issues before they are allowed a prescription.   The diet pill is supposed to help control the appetite by making you feel fuller faster.

It works to naturally suppresses hunger by working on the brains central appetite control center, thereby reducing the need to eat a whole lot and reducing the caloric intake of patients, which in turn reduces their weight over a period of time.

Herbal Remedy for Weightloss Recalled for Containing Sibutramine

What is sibutramine?  It was the first time I had ever heard of it when I heard that an herbal weight loss remedy called Slim-30 was recalled because it was found to contain traces of this appetite suppressing drug.

Sibutramine is a medical grade, prescription appetite suppressant which can have certain side effects that may render it harmful if taken by people with pre existing health conditions, especially if they are taking it in an herbal product that they think only contains other certain naturally derived ingredients.

We have heard stories like this before, where herbal remedies or herbal supplements are supposed to be all natural appetite suppressants, and only contain untouched herbs and other natural vitamins and minerals, and it is found that they actually contain medical prescription ingredients.

This has happened a few times in the realm of male enhancement remedies which claim to be all natural. I think once that traces of prescription male enhancement drugs were found in a few herbal remedies for things like libido and male performance, and they were recalled as well.

The bad apples like that ruin it for all the legit herbal remedies that really only do contain ingredients that are on the label and that are natural, not putting clients well being at risk by putting drugs in them that may endanger their healthy or perhaps interact with other drugs they may already be taking.

That is the biggest danger of course, that and the fact that existing health conditions like high blood pressure or heart problems may be worsened if the prescription is taken unbeknownst to the customer.

Sibutramine is a prescription appetite suppressant that works on the appetite control centers of the brain, and it may have certain side effects and be dangerous for those with high blood pressure or heartbeat irregularities to take.

The company that distributes the Slim-30 product were very responsible in their recall of the product after it was found to contain the prescription medication, to props to them. No negative side effects or interactions were reported, so it looks like it was taken off the market in the nick of time.

New Prescription Weight Loss Meds Expected

Well, it looks like there may be some interesting prescription weight loss drug offerings brewing right now. That is, if they can pass the rigorous FDA scrutiny they are about to endure.  The FDA has been very careful about weight loss drugs in particular, especially after the Phen-Fen debacle, where there were even deaths correlated with the drug, and also since multiple other prescription weight loss drugs were either banned or made to put serious warning labels on them after they were associated with serious, and potentially life threatening side effects.

There has not been a  new weight loss drug released in several years, and part of it may be because companies know how hard it is to get one pushed through the FDA for approval to mass market, and they don’t want to waste the R&D time and money on developing new drugs for losing weight if the FDA is just going to shoot them down. That equals a lot of wasted time and money for drug companies.

Some of the drugs that are vying for approval actually sound quite promising. That is, if they don’t come with the nasty side effects that so many of their predecessors have been rife with.  One drug is an anti convulsant that is known to suppress the appetite.  Yikes, an anti convulsant drug, just to lose a few pounds!?  That one is actually Topomax, which is sold by Johnson and Johnson. I believe there is another one that is based on this idea that is going through approval now too.

One targets the center of the brain that controls appetite and metabolism, and is supposed to suppress the appetite while also helping to raise the metabolism.  Another drug vying for approval and the possibility of blockbuster sales is one that combines a drug used for addictions to alcohol and drugs, combined with an antidepressant. The idea behind this one is mostly to suppress hunger to reach the end goal of weight loss.

The projections for sales for any one of these new drugs would be phenomenal. People are hungry (no pun intended) for new prescription weight loss drugs like Xenical, which was one of the last ones approved, which helps you to get rid of excess fat via flushing it out of your system. Alli, it’s less potent sister drug which does not require a prescription, has also been a big seller, but people are looking for ways to lose weight that target appetite first.  Should be an interesting outcome!  I’ll keep you posted.

Liraglutide Diabetes Drug Helps Weight Loss

Boy, is this newer drug a tongue twister! Liraglutide (lee-rah-glue-tide) is actually a diabetes drug that is designed to help people control their blood sugar levels and keep them at more normal lows and keep the spikes down so that they can have a healthy blood sugar level. Now, new, more in depth studies, are showing the Liraglutide also helps people lose weight significantly more than the popular diet drugs called Alli and Orlistat.

Liraglutide, which was given to study participants once daily via injection, worked better in helping adults to lose weight than it’s actual weight loss counterparts of Orlistat (I believe this is also the same thing as Xenical, a popular prescription weight loss product) and Alli, however, it may not be marketed yet for the specific reason of weight loss until this can be further reviewed, and I’m sure FDA approved to be marketed as an actual weight loss drug instead of strictly as a diabetes drug.

The average weight loss per study participant on the Liraglutide drug was about ten pounds – not too shabby. This drug not only helped patients in the study lose weight more easily by regulating their blood sugar levels, but it also helped them to lower their blood pressure. Perhaps this was simply through the weight loss they achieved, as blood pressure typically goes down with weight loss, which is why doctors always recommend those that have extra pounds on them with high blood pressure lose as much weight as they can – it almost always helps with their blood pressure.

The only side effects that were reported using Liraglutide were occasional nausea and vomiting, however these side effects almost always subsided. The concern with this drug is really the injectable pice. Doctors and researchers aren’t so sure that an injectable medication would be the ideal answer to controlling weight long term, and the long term side effects aren’t known yet. For example, how do you know you may not be a prisoner to the drug after getting off it, without having sky high blood sugar afterwards because your body has grown accustomed to the benefits of having it lowered artificially?

Concerns like that will definitely need to be addressed before this can be considered for any sort of weight loss use, and also they will need to consider how they can give it without an injection I think, since it needs to be given every day. Currenlty the drug is available over in Europe to help patients with diabetes and prediabetes, no known date yet for US release.

Qnexa May Be New Diet Drug Sensation

Remember the Fen-Phen debacle? Well it seems that the one half of the Fen-Phen combo that wasn’t deemed to be the cause of apparent heart damage in some of the patients who were prescribed the infamous diet drug, is the new half of another new sensational diet drug that hasn’t hit market yet, but is still in clinical testing phases, called Qnexa.  So far the clinical trials of the drug have been promising as far as their implications in weight loss.

The tests have been done on about 750 patients, and of those, the ones that are on the higher doses of the Qnexa drug, which is a combination of the former diet half drug and the drug Topomax, have been demonstrated to consistently be losing more weight than their counterparts who are on a part-placebo and part drug combo.

The most common side effects of the potential new wonder drug for weight loss are the typical ones that are listed for most prescription diet drugs, which include but are not limited to dry mouth, constipation, loss of taste (foods tend not to taste as good on most effective diet drugs, that’s part of the idea I guess), and a new one to me, which is itching.

No comments on whether it causes irregular heart beats of rapid heart beat, which is a common side effect of many weight loss supplements since they contain stimulants that tend to have this effect.  We’ll keep you posted on where this diet drug is on the pike, and when it comes out, if it passes the FDA approval process.

Diet Pill May Hinder Brain Development in Young

The latest blockbuster diet drug that actually went bust in the US and is only sold now in Europe, Rimonabant, otherwise known as Acomplia, has been pegged as having an effect on young mice who were studied in the lab (poor mice!) as having an effect on normal brain development during growth phases. 

It was shown to inhibit their adaptability, so that the brain could not learn to adapt to certain situations as the individual mouse grew, as a normal youth would be able to.  This is just another blow to the drug, although they never indicated that it should be used in children, and it is actually not even allowed to be prescribed for children currently where it is approved for use. 

The drug works by suppressing the appetite by way of hindering the same chemical process by which people who smoke marijuana get hungry in the brain.  However, the reason that the drug was not approved in the US is that it was demonstrated to cause some forms of psychiatric problems in the patients that it was given to in controlled studies – to the effect of 40%, which is of course totally unacceptable. 

Most alarmingly was the reports of suicidal thoughts that accompanied the use of the drug, and this was unacceptable for the FDA to approve the drug.  Just another reason to give a good herbal weight loss pills a try, right?  It seems like a lot of these blockbuster pharmaceutical weight loss drugs just cause more problems than they’re worth, way more than outweighing (no pun intended) the health risks that excess weight brings. 

Acomplia is set to come back out as a treatment for type II diabetes in 2009, but it is unclear whether they are trying to reformulate the product at all to make it safer for human consumption and reduce the potentially life threatening side effects of suicidal thoughts. 

Acomplia Now Also Linked to Anxiety, Depression

One of the newer weight loss drugs has some more bad news unfortunately for those that are overweight and hopeful that this diet product would be the answer to their weight and diet woes.  Before we reported that word on the “street” was that Acomplia was linked to it’s patients having suicidal thoughts, although in a statistically rather small portion of the patients. 

Now, new evidence is showing that patients taking the Acomplia diet drug are showing a doubling in the tendency toward anxiety and depression, which is not good news, especially considering that anxiety and depression are just as bad if not worse than having excess weight, so now patients must decide if the risk is worth the payoff (hopefully substantial weight loss).  Makes natural appetite suppressants pretty appealing, huh?

The study focused on patients taking the drug, and found that patients that were taking 20 milligrams or more of the diet and weightloss product were more than two times likely to stop treatment on the drug due to depression and anxiety cropping up to the point that it seemed unbearable.  This follows an advisory by a panel to not approve the diet drug after findings that it increased suicidal thoughts.