New weight loss drug approved by FDA only working for some:
New drug, new profits, new side effects,
will Belviq help or hurt?
My Story:
I new I was coming close to becoming really heavy maybe even obese. I made a choice to change and started to walk 3 miles a day. Eight months later and 4 pounds less I begin to think I was going to be fat for the rest of my life. Until the day I felt like I was going to have a heart attack and my blood work supported that idea. New inspiration came to me and I made changes without drugs to help me loose weight. I lost one pound a week for 8 months. It was like magic I created. Before I decided to really change I often think if I could have taken a pill would I have taken that short cut? Would that have really solve my problem or just made me thinner with equal chance of having a heart attack?
FDA approved new weight loss drug Belviq with a list of side effects:
The FDA new report (1) on the new weight lost drug,
Belviq which works by activating serotonin 2C receptor in the brain. Three trials to determine the safety and efficacy of Belviq included nearly 8000 obese and overweight patients with and with out type two diabetes with an average weight loss of 3 percent to 3.7 percent, including half the patients with out type 2 diabetes lost 5 percent or more of the their body weight compared with 23 percent with a placebo. All participants in addition to the use of Belviq or placebo used a reduced-calorie diet and exercise.
Belviq also helped control blood sugar levels. Belviq should not be used during pregnancy. The new release from te FDA states the side effects from the use of Belviq may be:
“Treatment with Belviq may cause serious side effects, including serotonin syndrome, particularly when taken with certain medicines that increase serotonin levels or activate serotonin receptors. These include, but are not limited to, drugs commonly used to treat depression and migraine. Belviq may also cause disturbances in attention or memory…..The most common side effects of Belviq in non-diabetic patients are headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, dry mouth, and constipation, and in diabetic patients are low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), headache, back pain, cough, and fatigue.”
The serious side effect of serotonin syndrome seems to be a heavy consequence of our actions for wanting a pill to solve a problem from shivering to death. . Mayo Clinic (2) defines serotonin syndrome happens when medications cause high levels of chemical serotonin to accumulate in the body with symptoms ranging from “mild — shivering and diarrhea — to severe — muscle rigidity, fever and seizures. Severe serotonin syndrome can be fatal if not treated.”
Other weight loss drugs in the past find problems after being on the market:
There is no evidence currently that Belviq will have unforeseen problems, but there is always a chance. Only time will tell. In the past there were other drugs approved according to the news release by FDA (1) in 1997 the drug Fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine were taken off the market after evidence emerged that caused heart valve damage assumed to be related to the serotonin 2B receptor on heat tissue. It is not thought currently that Belviq activates the serotonin 2B receptor with heart valve function assed by echocardiography in almost 8,000 patients in the Belviq development program. Belviq was not studied in patients with serious valvular heart disease.
Belviq will be subject to six post marketing studies including the risk for major heart events like heart attack and stroke.
A lot of people still lost weight with the placebo:
I find it interesting that the participant taking a placebo and without taking Belviq still showed a 23 percent of the 8,000 test subjects (around 1800 people) still lost weight, there are no side effects listed in the report with the placebo. Would around half of the participants have lost weight and improved without taking any drug that could have the side effect of serotonin syndrome which may cause shivering to death or other minor side effects.
Do pills solve problems or create problems?
When a person is “stuck” with excess weight they most likely already know they need to loose weight and it is possible they are truly frustrated and just end up living with the weight. It seems easy solutions may have their own list of side effects.
Every time we want a pill to solve the problem is it truly going to solve the problem or have a give effect and take with the side effects? If the pill solves the problem will the person be forced to take the drug on a daily bases or on and off for life?
Answers for profit not for the best over all results:
I have found the answers usually chosen are ones that are more profitable in the long run for a business. Other option are set aside when there is not much profit. So if about 50% of the people in the study lost weight and we assume those who lost more using Belviq then why use a drug other than profit? The ones that didn't loose weight didn't loose it with or without the drug. When company only consider profit it leaves us all out in the cold to find our way on our own. Finding companies that make a profit and consider a higher purpose are the ones that move us forward as a country and a people. It does make life much more difficult when the question is Why is this the best? Many companies tend to only tell the good, nothing more or less about their products leaving us with half truths. Every time I look at an ad I wonder what they are leaving out.
Final words:
I wish everyone good health and the hope they become the weight they are designed to become. Everyone in the long run decides what is best for them. For myself, personally, I realized a drug did not create my health problems and drugs offer a limited solution. Belviq was not on the market yet so I did not have that choice and the drugs like Fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine ended up not really being a logical choice. Drugs come with a short or long list of side effects I had to consider if the benefit would out weigh the risk of taking the drug. I remember how difficult it was at one time just to be “stuck” with my weight and not being able to control it. Drugs for me were always a last choice. I felt if I gained the weight without a drug I could loose it without a drug.
Looking at the whole picture always helps me make a better choice. Be more proactive we can all become just a little bit better and the more likely the negative results in life can be avoided. Stand up tall with an upright posture and be proactive. The solution helps to keep moving the best direction is to step onto the path of True Health. Discover a new world. Help yourself, help the world, step on to the Path of True Health and vote with your dollars company you want to support to create a world you will love to live in. I do, and I like the world I am helping to create. Together we can create a better life for all to remember over their entire lifetime Together we can protect what we have so we don’t need to live in a world that is second rate.
By Design ~ “Life is good By Design”
Photo and photo creation by Cynthia G. Creel all rights reserved ©2013
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all rights reserved ©2013 written permission is needed to duplicate
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of By Design or Cynthia G. Creel. Consultation of a medical professional is highly recommended before any changes are considered. This article is not saying anyone person in a leadership position is unhealthy or healthy, it is just a possibly of many and is only speaking in general terms. .Note: No company mentioned in this article is considered to serve “healthy or unhealthy” food, any examples given was only used as an example of how business works though their history and public information. The focus is only to help explain a idea. Statements and conclusions of any study authors that are presented are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of Cynthia G. Creel or any means the information is published. There is no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability.
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Source:
(1) http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm309993.htm
(2) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/serotonin-syndrome/DS00860
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