Weight Loss Drugs Prescription and OTC »
Taking a weight loss drug may not result in weight loss by itself. But using diet pills can help an overweight person stay on a diet because nearly all of these medications work on suppressing appetite. "Feeling full" is believed to be related to a number of biochemical processes in the body. Signals to indicate fullness come from fat cells and the gastrointestinal tract; these converge with signals in the central nervous system. Appetite suppressants target a couple of key neurotransmitters in this process: serotonin and norepinephrine. Increased levels of serotonin result in a feeling of fullness. Increasing norepinephrine levels stimulate the central nervous system, decreasing appetite. Only one drug among the weight loss medications works in a different way. Orlistat (Xenical, Alli) works in the gastrointestinal tract to prevent absorption of about a third of ingested fat.
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Please Note: This Brand Name drug is no longer available in the US.Sibutramine affects chemicals in the brain that affect weight maintenance.
Sibutramine is used together with diet and exercise to treat obesity that may be related to diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure.
Sibutramine may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.
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Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Stop using sibutramine and call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:
Less serious side effects may include:
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Do not use sibutramine if you have taken an MAO inhibitor such as furazolidone (Furoxone), isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) in the last 14 days. Serious, life threatening side effects can occur if you use sibutramine before the MAO inhibitor has cleared from your body.
You should not take sibutramine if you are allergic to ir, or if you have severe or uncontrolled high blood pressure, an eating disorder (anorexia or bulimia), or if you are taking stimulant diet pills.
Before taking sibutramine, tell your doctor if you have glaucoma, high blood pressure, heart disease, a history of heart attack or stroke, liver or kidney disease, depression, underactive thyroid, seizures, a bleeding disorder, a history of gallstones, or if you are older than 65 or younger than 16.
Tell your doctor about all prescription and over-the-counter medications you use, especially antidepressants, narcotic pain medicine, or migraine headache medicines.
Tell your doctor if you do not lose at least 4 pounds after taking the medication for 4 weeks along with a low calorie diet.
Here is a collection of user reviews for the medication Meridia sorted by most helpful.
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
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