For those of you who may follow the pharmaceutical industries quest to find miracle weight loss drugs you might have heard about Qnexa, which is expected to be approved by the FDA in the near future. Qnexa is a combination of two medications -- topiramate and phentermine. Researchers are happily reporting that obese patients that took the drug lost almost 15% of their body weight (averaging 40 lbs) over one year.
At Take It Off we’re not opposed to drug use when appropriate—i.e. the risk of the drug outweighs the risk of the obesity related conditions—but two things are concerning. First, phentermine was one of the two drugs that made up "fen-phen." As you will remember, fen-phen was later linked to heart valve problems. Supposedly phentermine wasn’t the culprit of the two. . .
The second concern has to do with the side effects reported in the clinical trials of Qnexa, which included pins & needles of the skin, dry mouth, altered taste, constipation and depression. Have you noticed how many drugs site depression as one of the potential side effects of use!
Just this week on the Today Show there was a feature of a woman who has fought clinical depression her entire life and finally found a drug that allowed her to feel normal; the side effect was an 80 lb. weight gain! It was a very interesting piece and she admitted that she’d rather be obese (but is going to start working out) but not depressed. Isn’t it ironic that this new weight loss drug could do the opposite in those that use it?
Proponents of the drug say the side effects do not appear to be a cause for “serious” concern. I don’t know for sure but I’m confident that the clinical trials for fen-phen weren’t “serious” either or else the FDA wouldn’t have given it the green light for sale and prescription.
More validation that programs like Take It Off Weight Loss that combines a weight loss eating strategy with regular exercise is a better alternative than drugs. I’m not suggesting there isn’t a time and place for drugs in weight loss but for the majority of people weight loss success (even if it is just 10% of your body weight) can be achieved without resorting to drugs. Is it easy sticking to healthy choices? Not always but at least you don’t have to worry about drug side effects!
For more information on Qnexa, you can visit: http://qnexadietpill.com/
What are your thoughts on the subject of weight loss drugs?
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