Buy Meridia

Three of the teens, two of them sisters, reported that they were part of a study involving the use of the prescription appetite suppressant sibutramine, commercially known as Meridia. Of the two, Mia R., fifteen and a half, and Dahiana R., seventeen and a half, only Dahiana was actually on the drug. Mia got the placebo, a fact she learned when I had her ask the program she attended about the treatment. She says, “The whole time, I thought I was on the drug.” Both sisters lost weight. About two years after the study ended, Mia was maintaining a 65-pound loss, while Dahiana was keeping off 80 pounds, although she had stopped taking the drug. (Mia was taller and less overweight to begin with.) Both young women also received instruction from a dietitian about how to eat more healthfully and were encouraged to exercise.

James G. took sibutramine as part of a comprehensive, medically supervised weight management program for teens. He no longer takes the drug but has kept off the 90 pounds that he lost more than two years ago.

Sibutramine, which works by increasing the levels of certain brain chemicals that help reduce appetite, is approved for use in adults by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but it is not approved for young people under the age of sixteen. Physicians can, however, prescribe the medication to a young person if they deem that it is in the child’s best interest or if the child is taking part in a study. Other prescription appetite suppressants approved for use in adults for short periods of time are not recommended for teens.

One well-designed study involving teens, conducted by University of Pennsylvania researcher Robert Berkowitz, M.D., and colleagues, found that sibutramine had a significant weight loss advantage over a placebo for obese teens who took part in an intensive behavior modification program that emphasized making dietary changes, walking, and keeping eating and activity journals, in conjunction with parental involvement. However, the drug had to be discontinued or the dose lowered in more than 4 out of 10 study participants because it raised their blood pressure. The researchers concluded that until more is known about safety and efficacy, weight loss medications should be used only on an experimental basis with adolescents and children.

The only weight loss drug that’s approved by the FDA for use in young people age twelve or older is orlistat (Xenical). None of the teens I interviewed used the drug, which works by blocking the body’s absorption of dietary fat, causing it to be excreted in bowel movements. The drug’s notorious side effects include oily bowel movements and possible spotting in underpants. A recent report published in the Journal of the
American Medical Association showed that orlistat had an advantage over a placebo in a large study involving teens who were taking part in a comprehensive, medically supervised weight management program.

Contrary to the experiences of Dahiana R. and James G., studies show that these drugs generally do not lead to dramatic weight loss. Any weight loss that does occur tends to level off after about six months of taking the drugs. When people go off the drugs, they tend to gain the weight back. It is not known how safe or effective the drugs are if used for a long time, particularly in young people.
In summary, studies supporting the use of medications for weight loss in teens are limited. These drugs should be prescribed only to seriously obese teens who have not had success with diet and exercise alone -and then only as part of a comprehensive weight management program under the guidance of a doctor or a team of experts specializing in the treatment of child and adolescent obesity.