The diet drug Meridia (sibutramine) will no longer be sold in the U.S. per a request by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“FDA requested this action after concluding Meridia’s continued availability is not justified since patients who take the drug are at an increased risk of heart attacks or strokes,” the FDA’s Dr. John Jenkins said in media briefing.

The US Food and Drug Administration is considering pulling the diet drug Meridia (sibutramine) off the market because of an increased risk of heart attack and strokes notes a story from the Associated Press.

“Given the modest decrease in body weight associated with sibutramine and the potentially substantial weight regain with discontinuation of therapy, even a small increase in cardiovascular risk seems unwarranted,” states Dr. Simone Pinheiro, of the FDA’s epidemiology division.

Earlier this month, the editors of the New England Journal of Medicine said that FDA should pull the drug off the market.

European regulators pulled the product off the market in January.

Diabetic patients who took Meridia (sibutramine) in addition to giving themselves subcutaneous injections of Symlin (pramlintide), as well as diet, exercise and lifestyle changes, lost an average of 23.9 lbs in six months versus 4.6 lbs in those given injections of a placebo, a difference of 19.3 lbs according to a new study from the makers of Symlin (pramlintide).

The diet drug Meridia (sibutramine) increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiac arrest in older people with a history of heart disease or Type 2 diabetes according to information released from the US Food and Drug Administration on November 20th, 2009.

Among 62 cases of Meridia (sibutramine) overdose reported to the California Poison Control System database between January 1998 and August 1, 2008, there were “no serious effects or deaths on our retrospective case series” notes a new report.

“Mild to moderate effects that were rarely reported included tachycardia [a racing heart], chest pain, agitation, irritation, dizziness, vertigo, nausea, and vomiting.”

“The doses ranged from 2.5 to 75 mg.”

(The recommended dose is 10-15 mg.)

Nearly half (49%) of weight loss doctors surveyed use the diet drug Meridia (sibutramine) with their weight loss patients.

It is the fifth most used diet drug used by these doctors.

People given Meridia (sibutramine) plus lifestyle changes lost an average of approximately 18 pounds or 8.4 percent of body weight after six months according to a recent review paper.

People given Meridia (sibutramine) plus lifestyle changes lost an average of approximately 18 pounds or 8.4 percent of body weight after one year according to a recent review paper.

People given Meridia (sibutramine) plus lifestyle changes lost an average of approximately 25 pounds or 11 percent of body weight after two years according to a recent review paper.

People injecting 120 mcg of the diabetes drug Symlin (pramlintide) three times per day plus dietary counseling plus 10 mg of Meridia (sibutramine) in the morning lost an average of 24.9 pounds in six months compared to 4.6 pounds for those given a placebo (injections plus pills) according to a study by Amy Halseth, MD from Amylin Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, California presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes 2008.

Meridia (sibutramine) causes an average of 4.8 pounds greater weight loss than Xenical (orlistat) according to a comparison of eight studies involving a total of 885 patients that compared the two drugs. The studies lasted from 3 to 12 months.

The most common reason for stopping Meridia (sibutramine) within the first three months was hypertension, causing 1.6 percent of patients to stop taking the drug according to data from the UK.

The most common reason for stopping Meridia (sibutramine) within the first three months was hypertension, causing 1.6 percent of patients to stop taking the drug according to data from the UK.

Approximately 80 percent of people taking Meridia (sibutramine) and Xenical (orlistat) are women according to prescription data from the UK.

Meridia (sibutramine) causes an average weight loss of 9.2 pounds more than placebo or 4.3 percent of body weight more than placebo according to an analysis by researchers from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Less than 10 percent of patients prescribed either Xenical (orlistat) or Meridia (sibutramine) are still taking them after one year, and less than 2 percent are still taking them after two years according to a study from the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Meridia (sibutramine) plus two Slim-Fast meal replacement shakes per day caused an average weight loss of 18.3 pounds after three months and 23.8 pounds after one year according to a study from researchers at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita, Kansas, USA.

Overweight bipolar patients who had gained weight while taking antipsychotic medicine lost an average of 8.9 pounds in six months with Meridia (sibutramine) compared to 6.2 pounds with Topamax (topiramate), however, more than three-fourths of patients dropped out before the end of the study.

People given 10 mg of Meridia (sibutramine) per day in addition to a reduced calorie diet lost an average of 18 pounds in six months compared to 8.6 pounds for those given a placebo according to a study from Italy.

Men and women given a combination of Xenical (orlistat) plus Meridia (sibutramine) lost 8 percent in three months and 14.9 percent after six months according to a study from Brazil.

Meridia (sibutramine) can cause bruising according to 16 cases reported according to a paper from New Zeland.

In rare cases, Meridia (sibutramine) can cause mental impairment according to a report from New Zeland.

Meridia (sibutramine), and I assume other noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, may increase metabolism slightly. They may increase metabolism in men more than women according to the research.

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.

Meridia (sibutramine) causes an average weight loss of 9.8 pounds more than placebo after one year according to a analysis by the RAND Corporation.