Weight loss diets

Xenical® (orlistat) is a prescription weight loss medication. It is approved to help people lose weight and to prevent weight regain in people who have already lost weight.

Xenical works by decreasing the absorption of fat from your diet. The stomach and intestine have enzymes, called lipases, that break down fat into smaller molecules which are then absorbed from your digestive tract. Xenical binds to lipases and inhibits their activity, helping to decrease fat absorption. The medication does not have any effect on carbohydrates or protein.
Studies have shown that Xenical helps people lose weight. After six months of taking the drug while dieting, people lost an average of 12.4 pounds (compared to just 6.2 pounds for people who were just dieting). After a year, those taking Xenical while dieting had lost a total of 13.4 pounds, on average (compared to 5.8 pounds for those just dieting). In addition, those taking Xenical for a year experienced decreases in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol), blood sugar, and blood pressure, while those not taking Xenical increased all these factors.

In studies of Xenical in people with type 2 diabetes, the drug improved several measures of diabetes control, such as fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c, and many people were able to reduce or discontinue their diabetes medications. Studies have also shown that Xenical can help prevent type 2 diabetes in people with obesity.

Xenical has also been studied as an aid to help people who have already lost weight keep the weight off. In one study, 52 percent of people not taking Xenical regained the weight they had lost, compared to just 26 percent of people who took the drug.

General considerations for when and how to take Xenical include the following: (more…)

PHENDIMETRAZINE is a weight loss medication. It is available with a prescription under several brand names – Bontril, Phendiet, Phenzene, Plegine.
Phendimetrazine is a sympathomimetic amine, which is similar to an amphetamine. It is also known as an “anorectic” or “anorexigenic” drug.
Combined with a reduced calorie diet, it can help you reduce weight by decreasing your appetite. Generic phendimetrazine is available.
Phendimetrazine stimulates the central nervous system (nerves and brain), which increases your heart rate and blood pressure and decreases your appetite.

Phendimetrazine is used along with a doctor-approved, reduced-calorie diet, exercise, and behavior change program to help you lose weight.   It is used in people who are significantly overweight (obese) and have not been able to lose enough weight with diet and exercise alone.

The immediate-release formulation is available in 35 mg tablets and capsules. The sustained-release formulation is available in 105 mg capsules. Other brand or generic formulations may also be available.

Phendimetrazine is usually taken for only a few weeks at a time. It should not be taken with other appetite suppressants.
The possibility of serious side effects increases with longer use of this medication and use of this drug along with certain other diet drugs.

This medication may cause dependence, especially if it has been used regularly for an extended time or if it has been used in high doses. In such cases, withdrawal reactions (e.g., depression, severe tiredness) may occur if you suddenly stop this drug. To prevent withdrawal when stopping extended/regular treatment with this drug, gradually reduce the dosage as directed.
This medication may stop working well after you have been taking it for a while.

Phendimetrazine is usually taken once a day (sustained release formula) or two to three times daily (immediate-release formula) before meals on an empty stomach. Do not take phendimetrazine in the evening because it may cause insomnia. Do not crush, chew, or open any “once-daily” phendimetrazine tablets or capsules. Swallow them whole.