In England, there were eight times more prescriptions written for diet pills in 2006 than in 1999—1.06 million versus 127,000—as noted in an article on the UK’s Mail Online.

Obese women on a modestly reduced diet and given the drug Strattera (atomoxetine) lost 7.9 pounds in three months compared to 0.2 pounds for those given a placebo according to a study conducted at Duke University Medical Centre in Durham, North Carolina, USA.

Type II diabetics given 35 mg of phendimetrazine three times per day one-half hour before meals lost an average of 2.7 pounds in three months. (Runyan, 1962)

A group of patients who were given 35 mg of phendimetrazine (Bontril) three times per day lost considerably less after a month-and-a-half than those given twice as much—70 mg three times per day-- (1.7 percent versus 6.5 percent, respectively). (Cass, 1961)

In a cross-over study, patients lost 3.6 pounds in six weeks with 35 mg of phendimetrazine (Bontril) given three times per day compared to 5 pounds with a similar drug called phenmetrazine at a dose of 25 mg three times per day. (Young, 1961)

Seventy mg of phendimetrazine given three times a day an hour before meals causes considerably more weight loss than lower doses according to another study. (Le Riche and Van Belle, 1962) However, based on side effects 70 mg given twice a day—at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. —appeared to be the preferred dosage. (Le Riche and Van Belle, 1962)

Patients given 70 mg of phendimetrazine three times per day an hour before meals lost an average of 14.7 percent of body weight in three months without dietary restriction or behavior modification. (Cass, 1961)

A small group of patients were given 105 mg three times per day, but did not lose any more weight after a month-and-a-half than those given 70 mg three times per day. In fact, they lost slightly less weight—7.2 percent versus 8.4 percent, respectively.

The most common side effects of phendimetrazine (Bontril) were dry mouth and sleeplessness according to one study (Cass, 1961).

The adverse effects of phendimetrazine include nervousness (10 percent of patients), insomnia (5 percent), nausea (3 percent), increased blood pressure (3 percent), dry mouth (3 percent), tachycardia (a racing heart) (2 percent) according to one study. (Young, 1961)

A study in which type 2 diabetics were given phentdimetraine (Bontril), onne patient found that he could overcome the appetite-reducing effect of phendimetrazine by taking the drug with milk. (Runyan, 1962)

This article contains techincal information for the diet drug phendimetrazine (Bontril) including the half-life of the drug, time to achieve peak levels in the blood, blood concentrations after a single dose, etc.

Studies have found that on average, diet and lifestyle changes help people to lose up to 11 pounds after two to four years, whereas diet drugs help people lose an average of 11-22 pounds after one to two years, and weight loss surgery results in an average weight losse of 55 to 165 pounds after two to four years, depending on the type of surgery, according to a paper from Dr. J. D. Douketis from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada.

“Clinical trials indicate that drug therapies, usually in combination with calorie restriction and/or exercise, achieve a modest reduction in bodyweight (usually [4 to 17 pounds] more than placebo) within the first 6 months of drug treatment,” notes Dr. Lisa L. Ioannides-Demos from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia in a recent review paper about drug treatment for obesity.

A recent article stated that the word “obesity” first appeared in a medical context in a book published in 1620. This appears to be wrong by about 700 years.

When considering only patients who lose at 5 percent of their body weight by the end of weight loss studies, diet and lifestyle changes cause an average weight loss of less than 11 pounds after 2-4 years; weight loss medications cause an average weight loss of 11 to 22 pounds after 1-2 years; and weight loss surgery causes an average weight loss of 55-165 pounds after 2-4 years according to a new review from researchers at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.

Only 4 percent of physicians in Israel prescribe diet pills according to a 2002 survey.

A little more than two-thirds (68.8 percent) of Korean doctors who answered a survey prescribe diet pills to patients who request them regardless of their obesity status according to a new survey.

Meridia (sibutramine) and and Xenical (orlistat) are the only diet drugs currently approved for long-term use according to the U.S. NIH’s Obesity Guidelines (p. xvi).

Lifestyle changes including behavior modification, a low-calorie-diet, and increased physical activity should be tried for at least six months before weight loss drugs are tried according to the U.S. NIH’s Obesity Guidelines (p. xvi). If after six months of diet and exercise a patient fails to lose the recommended 1 pound per week, then drug therapy can be tried. (p. 85)

People injected with the drug Axokine only lost 3.4 pounds more after a year than those given a placebo. The average weight loss was 7.9 pounds for those given Axokine compared to 4.5 pounds for those given a placebo.

Here are when various diet drugs were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In diet drugs studies, roughly one-fourth (24 percent) of subjects dropout within the first month, and half (48 percent) after two months according a recent review paper of diet drug studies by Halpern and Mancini (2003, p. 31, col. 2).

Diet drug studies lasting 9 to 12 months show weight losses of 8-17 pounds more than placebo, or 3 to 8 percent of bodyweight, according to a recent review by G. Glazer from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, in New York.

Weight loss surgery causes an average weight loss of 18 percent of body weight compared to 11 percent with diet and drugs, 7 percent with diet alone, 7 percent with diet plus group health care education, and 6 percent with a modified fast.