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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
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Pharmacy and Medications |
Sibutramine06/30/2005 |
Please tell me about the efficacy of the drug sibutramine for anti obsesity. I am hypertensive on amlodipine-10 atenolol 100 and losartan-100. My weight is 115 with no diabetes and thyroid. Can I take this medicine.
Sibutramine (Meridia) is in a class of medications known as serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI), typically used for appetite suppression. The current accepted uses of sibutramine are: 1) obese patients with an initial body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 30 kilograms per square meter of height, or 2) people with an initial BMI equal to or greater than 27 kilograms per square meter of height with other risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia.
There was a study conducted in the year 2000 that addressed the effectiveness and safety of sibutramine for weight loss. Patients included in the study were obese with hypertension that was controlled by a calcium channel blocker (like amlodipine). The results of the study showed that the patients on sibutramine had significant weight loss compared to the patients taking placebo. Of the patients taking sibutramine, 40.1% lost 5% or more of their body weight, and 13.4% lost 10% or more of their body weight. Of the patients taking placebo, 8.7% lost 5% or more of their body weight, and 4.3% lost 10% or more of their body weight.
This study also showed that patients taking sibutramine had a significant increase in their diastolic blood pressure (increased by 2.0 mmHg) and pulse rate (increased by 4.9 beats per minute) compared to patients taking placebo.
Sibutramine should not be taken if you have an arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, liver or kidney problems, severe hypertension, stroke, or anorexia nervosa. If you begin taking sibutramine, you will have to keep regular visits with your doctor to check the progress of your therapy, and monitor your blood pressure and heart rate.
Sibutramine is an effective drug for weight loss, but it does have risks associated with its use. Some patients have had to discontinue the use sibutramine due to their blood pressure and heart rate increasing to an unacceptable level.
You should discuss this with your primary care physician before you make any decisions. Your doctor should measure your BMI, blood pressure, and heart rate, and discuss the risks and benefits of using sibutramine with you.
Submitted by Michelle Craig, PharmD Candidate, University of Cincinnati
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Jan Scaglione, BS MT, PharmD ,DABAT Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice Drug and Poison Information Center Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center University of Cincinnati |
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