Source: Reuter

Study points to caution on diet drugs

CHICAGO (Reuter) Two appetite suppressants widely used in weight
loss drugs could pose health risks, researchers said Tuesday. The two
dexfenfluramine and fenfluramine have been shown to cause a
disruption of certain brain functions in test animals, although it is
not known if the same thing happens in humans. They also could cause
an increase in blood pressure in arteries supplying blood to the
lungs, the report said. Researchers at the National Institute of
Mental Health said they based their conclusions on a review of 128
medical journal articles that have been published on the weight loss
drugs. The report said that when the drugs are prescribed, doctors
and patients should be vigilant for signs of primary pulmonary
hypertension, a lifethreatening disorder affecting the blood supply
to the lungs. Doctors should also be alert to such things as memory
loss, irregular moods, anxiety, aggression and changes in sleep
patterns related to a reduction of serotonin in the brain. While a
disruption of brain serotonin has been found in test animals, it is
not known if the same thing happens in humans, said the article in
this week's Journal of the American Medical Association. The Food and
Drug Administration recently approved dexfenfluramine in the United
States for up to 12 months at a time to treat obesity, under the
brand ``Redux'' from WyethAyerst Laboratories of Philadelphia and
Interneuron Pharmaceuticals Inc, of Lexington, Mass. Fenfluramine has
been available in the United States for about two decades as
``Pondimin,'' from A H Robbins Co Inc, of Richmond, Va. The two drugs
have been in widespread use in Europe, the study said. ^REUTER@ Shug