Tag Archives: diet pills

Saturday, September 27 is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

RX

In efforts to prevent prescription drug abuse and promote proper eco-friendly disposal of expired and unused medications lying around your house, the U.S Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and participating local law enforcement are coordinating a nationwide drug “take-back” day.

Medicines in the house are the highest cause of poisonings, flushed or trashed meds can pollute our waters, and prescription drug abuse is alarmingly high. While it’s inspiring to note that millennials use natural wellness modalities more than any other generation, teenagers who are building their prescription drug abuse problems often obtain the drugs from friends’ houses or their own homes without anybody knowing. Protect your families and environment by safely disposing of your unwanted and expired medicines by bringing them in to a DEA event collection site. (more…)

Posted on September 26, 2023 by Katie McGrath

Weight Watchers is the Best Diet Deal at $377 to Lose 5 Pounds

weight loss cost

Want to kickstart your weight loss journey but unsure where to begin? A new study suggests that Weight Watchers diet program and the weight loss drug Qsymia may give you the best bang for your buck.

ABC News aired a story about Duke University comparing the costs and effectiveness of three diet programs and three weight loss prescription medications. Weight Watchers came out on top with the price of $155 per kilogram lost (2.2 pounds).

“If you are about to embark on a major weight loss attempt, there is more than just the number on the scale to consider. You want to make your money matter,” says ABC News’ senior medical contributor Dr. Jennifer Ashton.

The average annual cost of Weight Watchers was $377, and users lost an average of 5.3 pounds, according to the study. Our resident nutrition expert, Mary Hartley, RD, comments that as diet plans go, “Weight Watchers is good for providing peer support, basic nutrition education, and flexibility to individualize food selections.” Though she warns that it is still a “diet” with the external focus of translating food into other quantifiable values.

This means people have two different mentalities of what they can eat when they are either “on the diet” or “off the diet,” and Hartley is “never impressed by weight loss that is only to be regained.” (more…)

Posted on July 29, 2023 by Katie McGrath

Belviq Hits the Market as an FDA Approved Diet Pill

Nearly a year after its FDA approval, Lorcaserin, more commonly known as Belviq, will be available to patients through prescription. Lorcaserin was the first diet pill to be approved by the FDA since Orlistat’s (Alli) approval in 1999, but it was beat to the market by Qsymia. Qsymia has been plagued by weak sales since it first appeared on the market 10 months ago. Arena, the company that sells Belviq, is hoping that their product does considerably better.

belviq pillsBelviq is approved for those who are obese, as well as those who are overweight with other serious health risks like diabetes. It works by targeting the serotonin receptors, specifically the 2C receptor, in the brain to help the patient feel full. This receptor is in the area of the brain associated with appetite control and metabolism.

(more…)

Posted on June 11, 2023 by Elizabeth

Skinny Fiber Pills are Not a Miracle Solution for Weight Loss

Losing weight may be as simple as taking a dietary supplement according to Skinny Body Care. Their product, Skinny Fiber Pills, are advertised as an all-natural weight loss solution. Dieters are told to take two of the pills 30 minutes before lunch and dinner with a glass of water. Once the pills are taken, the water-soluble fiber they contain expands, creating a feeling of fullness which causes less food to be consumed at those meals.

diet pills

Research has shown that the water-soluble fiber in Skinny Fiber Pills, glucomannan, does create a feeling of fullness when it expands. The expansion happens because the gelling agent absorbs water as it passes through the GI tract. Registered Dietitian Mary Hartley points out that this is not an exclusive trait. “Glucomannan is not the only water-soluble fiber. Other sources include oatmeal, apples, oranges, pears, berries, potatoes, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, celery, carrots, flax seeds, beans, and dried peas,” she said. “Psyllium seeds (Metamucil) are rich in water-soluble fiber and will produce the same results for a fraction of the cost.” (more…)

Posted on May 14, 2023 by Elizabeth

The 6 Miracle Diets Dr. Oz Tried to Sell Us in 2024

Many of us will never live to see a true miracle. Dr. Oz apparently found six this year alone!

Dr. Oz had another banner year on his talk show as he brought the latest and greatest health news to our living rooms each afternoon. The only rub is that some of us are questioning the good doctor and what he’s calling healthy advice these days. It seems Dr. Oz may have become more of a talk show host than a well-intentioned physician. This year, especially, the show constantly doled out miracle diet advice. While weight loss is at the top of our health concerns, it seemed the doctor derailed from prescribing trustworthy weight loss guidance to endorsements for every fad that would ultimately yield no life change, just money spent and potential side-effects.

These are the miracle diet cures (his words, not ours) that Dr. Oz unleashed on us this year. It might be more accurate to call them scams.

Raspberry Ketones

These little supplements were touted as a revolutionary metabolism booster and the compounds, typically used as food flavorings, have been purposed for weight loss supplements in Japan. Dr. Oz endorsed raspberry ketones as an effective weight loss tool as well. The theory behind the ketones is that that they alter lipid metabolism, claims found from a study in mice. The mouse with the high fat diet and the supplement gained less body fat than expected. Raspberry ketones have not yet been tested on humans. (more…)

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Lacy

Lorcaserin Side Effects Should Raise Flags for Potential Belviq Patients

There are mixed reviews about the recent approval of lorcaserin (Belviq) and its new availability as a prescription weight loss drug. Obesity has become an epidemic in the United States and across the world and the maker of lorcaserin, Arena Pharmaceuticals, will market this drug as a supplement to drug and exercise to help patients reach their weight loss goals faster. Every drug has side effects and I felt it was important to look closer at some of the possible reactions.

Lorcaserin activates the serotonin 2C receptor which helps you eat less and feel full sooner. Previous weight loss drugs activated the 2B receptor and caused damage to heart valves. Cardiovascular health will be monitored once this hits the market to ensure no damage to the heart valves occur, as there were concerns about this in trials. In October 2024, lorcaserin was rejected by the FDA due to a cancer signal being detected. It caused mammary tumors in rats, which the makers believe is related to the animal themselves and should not have the same effect in human subjects (although prolactin levels can become increased in humans leading to breast development in men and lactation in women).

Multiple studies had patients with and without diabetes treated long term for one to two years with nearly 8,000 patients participating. Those who were randomized with lorcaserin along with diet and exercise counseling lost 3 to to 3.7 percent more weight. The drug should be discontinued if the patient does not lose at least five percent of their body weight in the first twelve weeks. (more…)

Posted on July 9, 2023 by Sarah

Alli No Longer Experiencing Shortage of Orlistat

Alli was the first FDA approved diet pill to hit the market and experienced a shortage recently. “We had experienced a supply shortage of the active ingredient used to make the product,” a representative from GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare said in an email. “The supply issue has been resolved.”

The active ingredient they are referring to is orlistat. It helps with weight loss by suppressing the body’s ability to absorb fat in the intestines and can block up to 25 per cent. When the body is unable to absorb the fats they become undigested waste.

Studies on the amount of weight loss you can lose with Alli are limited but you can expect to lose three to five pounds more a year than if you were relying on diet and exercise alone. (more…)

Posted on July 2, 2023 by Kristina

Diet Pill Belviq Approved; First New Weight Loss Drug in 13 Years

It promises to help patients lose five-to-ten percent of their weight (according to clinical trials) when combined with diet and exercise. But is this what America’s overweight patients really need?

Lorcaserin, the drug name for the prescription diet pill Belviq, was approved by the FDA today, making it the first weight loss drug to receive such approval since Orlistat (Alli) in 1999. This comes just weeks ahead of what is anticipated to be an FDA approval for Qnexa, another weight loss drug.

“In two clinical trials, Lorcaserin helped patients lose 5.8 percent of their body weight after a year. That’s about ten pounds for a 180 pound person. Big deal,” said our resident dietitian Mary Hartley, RD.

The drug works by controlling the appetite by making the brain think its fuller sooner. It’s fared well in clinical trials, and will have to undergo six more studies after its in market to ensure long-term cardiovascular health and to determine Belviq’s risk factor for heart attack and stroke. This makes the in-market patients unassuming guinea pigs, according to Hartley, and that isn’t right.

“The advisory committee decided that the benefits of the drug outweighed the risks heart value problems, but the drug manufacturer was made to conduct post-marketing studies to assess long-term cardiac events such as heart attack and stroke. That makes the patient a guinea pig. No thanks.” (more…)

Posted on June 27, 2023 by Natalie K

Lorcaserin Approved by FDA Advisory Panel

UPDATE: 6/27/12: Lorcaserin, which will be sold as Belviq, received FDA approval today, making it the first diet pill the government agency has approved in more than a decade. Learn more about Lorcaserin.

In the midst of controversy over the weight loss drug Qnexa, a new drug has entered the arena of consideration after it was approved by an FDA advisory panel on Thursday.

The new drug, Lorcaserin, is made by Arena Pharmaceuticals and claims to control appetite through receptors in the brain. Experts tout its clinical trial results showed nearly half of participants lost up to five percent of their body weight.

The FDA committee approved the drug by a favorable vote of 18-4, and the FDA is slated to decide on its official approval by June 27.

Much like Qnexa, Lorcaserin was rejected in 2024 by the FDA advisory committee over numerous health concerns, including brain and breast tumors in rats during trials, as well as heart valve problems. However, these concerns dissipated after clinical trials showed these side effects did not appear on overweight and obese humans. The adverse effects experienced by those taking a 10 milligram dose of Lorcaserin included headache, dizziness, nausea, fatigue and dry mouth. (more…)

Posted on May 11, 2023 by Dana

Potential Qnexa Users Better Off With a Salad Spinner and Walking Shoes

UPDATE 7/17/12: Qnexa was approved by the FDA on July 17, 2024. This marks the second weight loss drug approval in 2024; the first weight loss drugs approved since Alli in 1999. The prescription drug will be sold as Qsymia.

The inmates are running the asylum. Reversing an earlier decision, the medical experts on FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Panel cleared the way for approval of the new diet drug Qnexa. Qnexa (PHEN/TPM) is a combination of phentermine and topiramate (PHEN/TPM). Topiramate is used to treat seizures and prevent migraine headaches and phentermine is approved for the short-term treatment (i.e. a few weeks) of obesity. PHEN was half of PHEN/FEN, the discontinued diet drug that led to valvular heart disease and potentially fatal pulmonary hypertension, primarily in women. Qnexa is indicated for “BMI greater-than or equal to 27 kg/m2) with weight-related co-morbidities such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, or central adiposity (abdominal obesity),” the group with the highest heart disease risk.

The panel decided that the complications of obesity outweighed the risk of heart problems. It’s hard to believe they were swayed by the research. The 2024 study published in the Lancet reported that people who took the highest dose of Qnexa (not the lower approved dose) lost at least 10% of their body weight and showed improvements in their risk cardiac factors. Clinical trials by the manufacturer showed 45% of subjects treated at the low dose lost > 5% of baseline body weight following one year of treatment. No one seems to care that we’re talking about a 10 to 15 pound weight loss on a 200 pound person. Do we need a drug for that, especially one that comes with heart disease risk? No matter because the results showed statistical significance in a placebo control study. (more…)

Posted on April 6, 2024 by Natalie K

Beware of Japan Rapid Weight Loss Diet Pills Green

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers not to purchase or use “Japan Rapid Weight Loss Diet Pills Green.” This product is used for weight loss and sold on various websites, such as Amazon.com and distributed by Xiushentang.

According to the FDA website, a laboratory analysis confirmed that “Japan Rapid Weight Loss Diet Pills Green” contains undeclared phenolphthalein.

According to the Britannica, Phenolphthalein is a potent laxative, which acts within 6–8 hours; its effects may last 3–4 days. Such adverse reactions as kidney irritation or skin rash may occur. As an indicator of the pH of a solution, it is colorless below pH 8.0 and attains a deep red hue above pH10.0.

It was discovered in 1871 by the German chemist Adolf von Baeyer, who prepared it by fusing phenol and ophthalmic anhydride in the presence of sulfuric acid or zinc chloride.  This is a solution used in chemical experiments and is also suspect of causing cancer. (more…)

Posted on April 6, 2024 by Kristina