FDA HAS APPROVED 3 NEW DIET DRUGS.
The first weight loss drug is called Qsymia. Qsymia is a controlled-release preparation of phentermine and topiramate in one capsule. It is an expensive combination of 2 medications that have been used for many years.
Phentermine is a great appetite suppressant that increases dopamine in people’s brains. Topamax(R) helps with cravings. However this substance has many side effects especially drowsiness in some patients. Another name for Topamax(R) is dopamax. It is cheaper to give Phentermine during the day and the Topamax(R) in small dosage at night when it does not matter if one is sleepy. It also gives one a better control to have 2 drugs separately than together. The amount of phentermine in Qsymia is smaller than what is available now. The weight loss results with this combination drug are quite modest. I will not use this drug right away and I will wait till it has been tried and true. I will continue using Phentermine though.
The other weight loss medication is called Belviq. It is lorcaserin hydrochloride. This medication works by increasing serotonin in the brain. It is given as a 10 mg pill twice a day. It seems like a good idea but the results with lorcaserin is quite minimal. Diabeticcs lost 5% of their weight in a year. There are also many side effects like problems with thinking, sleepiness, confusion and even hallucinations. We can increase serotonin in the brain using natural products. Therefore I will not use this medication till it has proven itself. Also the price is high compared to the effect. Our new Medtrim formula that combines the old AM and PM formula does the same thing which is increasing dopamine and tryptophan at a fraction of the price. Morever there are no side effects with our Medtrim.
The third medication is called Belviq or Contrave. It is a medication that may be helpful for cravings. It contains 2 ingredients: an antidepressant called bupropion that does not make one gain weight and a medication used against addictions called Naltrexone. I personally use in my practice bupropion. I do not know whether the second medication is worth the extra cost. Also using the medications separately may be more economical. This medication may be the most novel and useful. Let us wait and see whether it gets approved and gets tried for a while before I will use it.