Antiobesity Drugs
According to a recent report in the British Medical Journal, three relatively new antiobesity drugs helped patients lose a moderate amount of weight while doing such things as lowering cholesterol and reducing the incidence of diabetes.
Of course there is a list of possible side effects doesn't end there.
The study found that both of the diet pills the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved for long-term use may lead to a modest weight loss of about 5% to 10% of a person's total body mass within the course of a year.
Sibutramine, which was approved as a prescription drug in 1997 and is sold under the trade name Meridia, has been associated with increased blood pressure, insomnia and constipation.
Orlistat, which since February has been heavily marketed as the over-the-counter aid Alli, can cause oily bowel movements so frequently that the package insert suggests women wear a panty liner when starting the regimen.
Rimonabant is the first of a new class of drugs designed to keep the user from getting the munchies. Scientists wondered what might happen if they blocked the brain's cannabinoid receptors. Early studies suggested the anticannabinoid crew was on to something. Not only did the desire for food seem to diminish with rimonabant but other cravings, like nicotine, were easier to control.
The downside to blocking parts of the brain that are responsible for pleasure, relaxation and pain tolerance according to a study published in the Lancet is the link to its use and depressive disorders. They were also three times as likely to stop taking the drug because of anxiety. The FDA panel nixed rimonabant's application for approval due to concerns that the drug increases the risk of suicidal thoughts.
Of course there is a list of possible side effects doesn't end there.
The study found that both of the diet pills the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved for long-term use may lead to a modest weight loss of about 5% to 10% of a person's total body mass within the course of a year.
Sibutramine, which was approved as a prescription drug in 1997 and is sold under the trade name Meridia, has been associated with increased blood pressure, insomnia and constipation.
Orlistat, which since February has been heavily marketed as the over-the-counter aid Alli, can cause oily bowel movements so frequently that the package insert suggests women wear a panty liner when starting the regimen.
Rimonabant is the first of a new class of drugs designed to keep the user from getting the munchies. Scientists wondered what might happen if they blocked the brain's cannabinoid receptors. Early studies suggested the anticannabinoid crew was on to something. Not only did the desire for food seem to diminish with rimonabant but other cravings, like nicotine, were easier to control.
The downside to blocking parts of the brain that are responsible for pleasure, relaxation and pain tolerance according to a study published in the Lancet is the link to its use and depressive disorders. They were also three times as likely to stop taking the drug because of anxiety. The FDA panel nixed rimonabant's application for approval due to concerns that the drug increases the risk of suicidal thoughts.
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