Weight Loss Drugs - weight loss information

The European Medicines Agency has warned consumers that the weight loss drug Acomplia heightens the risk of suicide among those taking anti-depressants.

The agency wants stronger warnings placed on the drug to reflect that risk but has stopped short of suspending the drug.

The agency says though the benefits of Acomplia outweigh its risks, it should not be used under any circumstances in patients with ongoing major depression or those who are taking antidepressants.

The panel has also called for a new warning on Acomplia's label to state that treatment should be stopped if a patient develops depression.

Information regarding the updated information will be sent to all doctors as the agency says it is important patients and their carers are aware of the risk of depression with the drug.

The move is in line with that of an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. which has said the product should not be approved because it may increase suicidal thinking and depression.

The FDA decision was the result of a study which found that of 120 patients taking the drug, two had committed suicide and one was considering it, while another attempted to strangle his daughter.

Since that decision drug company Sanofi has withdrawn its application to sell Acomplia in the United States; it has been available under the brand name Zimulti in Europe since the middle of last year.

European officials are likely to allow the drug to remain on the market but with stricter warnings.

Acomplia is the first in a new class of drugs that work by switching off the same brain circuits that make people hungry when they smoke cannabis and it was forecast to become a multibillion dollar blockbuster.

More than 40,000 Britons have been treated with Acomplia since last year which was lauded as a wonder drug after trials showed it could help dieters lose up to 10 per cent of their body weight and also help smokers quit.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in the UK says to date there have been 318 cases of patients being adversely affected by Acomplia.

Source: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=27891

A new over-the-counter weight-loss drug called Alli may give people with eating disorders another tool to harm themselves, local therapists fear.

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With obesity on the rise in America, and the lengthy list of medical issues attributed to it, consumers are searching for ways to lose weight. Nothing represents America's desire to lose weight more than the billions of dollars spent each year on weight loss programs.

Unfortunately though, those trying the newest fad diet or diet pill quickly find the money spent doesn't pay off.

Alli is the most recent diet pill to hit the market. Made by the same manufacturer of the prescription diet drug Xenical, Alli is a lower dosage version and can be purchased over-the-counter.

Just like Xenical, Alli is promoted as a weight-loss enhancer by preventing the absorption of fat from foods we eat. And just like its predecessor, Alli does increase the risk of becoming deficient of fat soluble vitamins. Therefore, taking a daily multi-vitamin at a different time than taking Alli is a must.

Alli's manufacturer recommends using the pill in conjunction with making lifestyle changes. These changes include exercising and eating a low-calorie, fat-controlled diet. Since Alli is a fat blocker, the manufacturer recommends eating no more than 15 grams of fat at each meal, or a consumer runs the risk of having negative symptoms (i.e.: gas, loose stools, diarrhea, and more frequent and/or hard to control bowel movements).

Fifteen grams of fat per meal equates to eating 25 percent of one's daily calories from fat when following an 1,800 calorie meal plan (or three meals with 15 grams of fat and one snack with 5 grams of fat). Fat should provide 20 to 35 percent of our daily calories, according to the 2005 U.S. Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines.

Does it work?

Weight loss may occur, but not necessarily in the amount you are hoping. According to Dr. Donald Hensrud, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., although some studies have been done on Alli, most of the weight loss projections are based upon the results of studies done with Xenical. With Xenical creating an average weight loss of only 6 pounds each year above weight loss from diet and exercise, he concludes at "half the strength, Alli could conceivably result in an average of 3 pounds lost in a year."

In the end, I feel the potential positives associated with the use of Alli are heavily outweighed by the negatives. Therefore, I recommend customers save their money and not use this diet aid.

Source: http://www.masslive.com/