BELVIQ- Here we go! FDA approves new weight loss drug

And in two years we'll see commercials from lawyers that start out: Warning! BELVIQ has been known to cause serious injury or even death! If you or a loved one took BELVIQ and suffered tumors, heart attacks, liver failure, or sudden death, you may be entitled to compensation. Call us at 1-800-FDA-FAIL for a free consulation.

Yeah, but I kinda hate lawyers that advertise that way. Kinda scummy. Lots of times you'll find an injury lawyer at major accidents.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I agree, especially since most of the money goes to the lawyers, but without them, companies would get away with even more than they do. Besides, my major point was, just because the FDA approves it, doesn't mean it's safe.

And in two years we'll see commercials from lawyers that start out: Warning! BELVIQ has been known to cause serious injury or even death! If you or a loved one took BELVIQ and suffered tumors, heart attacks, liver failure, or sudden death, you may be entitled to compensation. Call us at 1-800-FDA-FAIL for a free consulation.

Yeah, but I kinda hate lawyers that advertise that way. Kinda scummy. Lots of times you'll find an injury lawyer at major accidents.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I agree, especially since most of the money goes to the lawyers, but without them, companies would get away with even more than they do. Besides, my major point was, just because the FDA approves it, doesn't mean it's safe.

Well there's lot's of drugs that are approved by the FDA that are totally fine. There are some that are approved that haven't had a LONG enough study to determine long term effects. I don't think this one will be an issue since it's an appetite suppressant and we have lots of OTC appetite suppressants out on the market now.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

It's true plenty of approved drugs are fine, but this one had cancer as a 'side effect' in the early studies and was originally rejected because of that. Personally, any drug that might have cancer as a side effect is not going into my body. I already can't afford to eat organic, why add to my cancer chances?

http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=666272

"Side effects from Belviq include serotonin syndrome - a potentially life-threatening drug reaction that causes the body to produce too much serotonin and causes symptoms of agitation, diarrhea, heavy sweating, fever, muscle spasms, tremors or mental health changes. People taking antidepressants or migraine drugs that increase serotonin levels may be at an increased risk for this side effect. The drug may also cause "disturbances in attention or memory," the FDA said."

Oh boy...sounds like a bargain! Where can I get some? :noway:

There are lots of drugs now that can induce serotonin syndrome. It is on the rise because of the new knowledge about that pathway in the brain and the benefits of utilizing it. It doesn't automatically make any drug 'bad'.

I wonder what makes it different from Phentermine?

They actually are fairly different. Phentermine is a symptathomimetic. It works by (laymens terms) activating your 'fight or flight response'. Think of this response as how you would react to a bear chasing you. When a bear is chasing you, are you worried about being hungry? No, your worried about much more important things. Kind of follows the same principle.
The issue with this is this makes it contraindicated with people who have Hypertension (high blood pressure) and a lot of other conditions


This drug works at serotonin receptors. There are a lot of drugs that work at these receptors, but this works as an appetite supressor. So in essence, they have the same purpose, but two totally different mechanisms of action. One major difference though would be their contraindications. Patients who could not take phentermine, especially those with Hypertension, might be able to take this drug.



In all honesty, hadnt heard about this medication until I read the post. Its actually kind of cool to see something else out there on the market. I know there is a lot of negative connotations with "medically aided weightloss". The big thing is, smoking and weight loss are very similar, but people dont give "medically aided smoking cessation" as much gruff as weight loss. Both are best if you can do cold turkey, but with a combination of good medical intervention and a strong will, it can make things easier for some people



After rereading this post, there is a ton of misinformation in here. The most important thing is, if you are really interested in a medication like this, consult a trained healthcare professional. Some of the data you guys are reading is being misinterpretted/misunderstood. If you are against the drugs, then great! Weight loss can be achieved without the aid of medication. But for some, medical intervention can help. For example, with health care provider aid, whether cognitive, medical, or prescription, patients are 2x as likely to quit smoking. I dont know that there is any specific data on what that is for diet and exercise, but I would assume they are comparable

I would never judge anyone for doing what THEY need to do in order ro lose weight (as long as it isn't extremely unhealthy). For me--sure I want the weight gone, like, yesterday!!!! However--there really is so much gratification out of doing this the old fashion way. Sure, its extremely difficult and can even be stressful at times, but every goal I reach I am so proud I didn't give up. My thought is if someone gives you a new car--you would be ecstatic and happy. What if you worked two jobs and saved up the money and bought a new car. Which one would give you more satisfaction? Which one do you think you would take better care of?

I don't know what is out right now but the local Radio station keeps advertising some pill that is supposed to work great. That one is only supposed to be taken for 30 days at a time though ( I think)
It makes me so mad to hear them advertise it as some majic pill to use so you don't gain weight pigging out over the holidays. Like eating healthy and getting exercise are no longer needed.

http://www.wnd.com/2013/11/fda-approved-drugs-kill-100000-every-year/

FDA approved drugs kill over 100, 000 people a year.

That article is very short sited, and not understanding of the bigger picture.

First, everything has a secondary effect. Every drug, every food, drink everything. The drug being discussed in this thread, if you want to get technical, is not really to cause weightloss or appetite suppression, its to bind to the serotonin receptor. Thats its pharmacodynamics/kinetics, and it does exactly what it is intended to do. What researchers realized is patients were exhibiting decreased appetite, because of this MOA, and therefore made an indication. This drug, as someone said earlier, has a possible ADR of serotonin syndrome. The serotonin syndrome is completely to be expected, as it relates DIRECTLY to the drugs MOA. ADRs are to be expected, and this is why it is important to maintain a relationship with your doctor and pharmacist during therapy, to find the best therapy tailored towards your body and your lifestyle

Second, ADRs are a very unfortunate thing. In the field of pharmacy, a great deal of our time is spent trying to manage and treat ADRs to the best of our ability. ADRs are not seen in all patients, most the time they are not even seen in the majority, eveyones body is different. Its hard to say sometimes how a patient will react to a medication. It also can be a benefit vs risk, or a positives vs benefits

Third, unfortunately, ADRs and ME can be fatal sometimes. Its a very sad thing. But the field of medicine has grown exponentially over the past century, but there is still a lot we do not know or are learning more about. Medicine has significiantly improved billions of lives. Diseases like polio, small pox, and diabetes type 1 were horrible things 100 years ago, but now can either be cured or managed. Medicine can be very helpful, and we as professionals work for the best possible outcome, with the most minimal risk. It is not an exact science yet, but everyday advancements, improvements, reduction of errors, and reduced rehospitalization is occuring, to try to make patients healthier and happier.


Sorry about rambling a bit, the TL:DR, Everything has side effects. Drugs save billions of lives. ADRs do unfortunately kill people, but advancements are being made everyday to decrease these numbers

The FDA approves any drug, as long as the manufacturer can afford the approval. Many times, someone within the drug company is also in some way tied to the FDA itself.

No.

They must go through a 4 phase process. Of the drugs that are initially researched (thousands of drugs), very few even submit for an NDA. ~24 NDAs are filled a year. Of those 24, many of them will not be approved to go on the market

It may not always be the case but this kind of corruption and influence happens in every aspect of the business world. I see it on a local level and it certainly happens on a national level.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/PainManagement/PainManagement/42103

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/pharmaceutical-firms-paid-to-attend-meetings-of-panel-that-advises-fda-e-mails-show/2013/10/06/a02a2548-2b80-11e3-b139-029811dbb57f_story.html