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 Diet
Pills
Prescription Diet Pills
Over the Counter Diet Pills
Diet Pills Consumer Alerts
Healthreserve offers information and
resources on the following FDA approved prescription diet pills.
Diet Pills
Prescription dieting pills and other weight loss pills represent massive revenues for the
pharmaceutical
industry. It has been estimated that almost 20 million Americans
purchase some form of diet medication every year. Although numerous studies
have shown that diet medication, when used in conjunction with a healthy
diet and daily exercise, can reduce weight in obese people, many people
have come to view weight loss pills as a fast and easy way to loose weight.
A History of Diet Pills
In the early days of diet pills - the 1960s and 1970s - diet pills were
primarily
amphetamine derivatives, otherwise known as "speed". As a result of the
addictive properties of speed, doctors ceased prescribing these drugs
for weight loss. In 1973, the Food and Drug Administration approved the
drug fenfluramine (Pondimin), followed by dexfenfluramine (Redux) in
1996. The diet drug Phentermine
(a sympathomimetic appetite suppressant) was approved in 1997. As this
time, some doctors began prescribing Phentermine in combination with
fenfluramine. This combined drug was called fen-phen. Reports of heart
valve disease resulting from the use of fen-phen began to surface, and
the makers of fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine withdrew these diet pills
from the market. This was the end of fen-phen.
Drugs such as fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine acted on the brain by
increasing serotonin levels. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter linked to
improved appetite, satiety and mood. Fen-phen acted by both increasing
an individual's metabolic rate, while at the same time making the brain
believe that the stomach was full.
The most prescribed weight loss medications in the US are sympathomimetic appetite
suppressants, the most popular being Phentermine. These drugs work by
stimulating the hypothalamus gland and affecting certain
neurotransmitters to decrease appetite. The hypothalamus is a region of
the brain responsible for controlling the autonomic nervous system,
regulating sleep cycles, appetite and body temperature.
Orlistat (Xenical) is a lipase inhibitor that acts by inhibiting the
absorption of
dietary fats into the body. It was approved in 1999.
Sibutramine (Meridia) was approved by the FDA in 2001, and acts on the
brain through norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine reuptake
inhibition.
During the past many decades, a number of over the counter (OTC) diet
pills have also been marketed to consumers. Increasingly popular today
is the use of 'herbal' diet pills and weight loss supplements. Although
the FDA regulates how these products can be advertised, as well as how
they should be used, many of these products contain ephedra,
phenylpropanolamine (PPA) and other potentially harmful substances. Care
must be exercised when considering any weight loss product, whether
prescription or non prescription.
Important Notes about Weight Loss Medications
The FDA has a number of regulations about how diet pills can be
advertised, how they can be prescribed, what conditions they can be
prescribed for, dosage levels, drug combinations and length of use. When
any drug is used contrary to these regulations, the term "off label use"
is often applied. Those taking dieting medications should ensure that they are
not using these pills in this manner, as this can have profound
adverse reactions on health and the body, including blood pressure and
metabolism. As well, those considering weight loss medications of any sort should be
aware that these products are only designed to be effective when used in
conjunction with proper diet and physical activity.
Visit the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research for information
about all drugs, including
dieting pills.
Consult the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Warnings and Safety
Information pages to learn about recent
medication alerts, diet supplements alerts and other diet product
warnings.
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Healthreserve.com
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