Sibutramine (Reductil)

Currently, only limited treatments exist for the long-term pharmacological charge of obesity. Sibutramine is really a relatively recent compound that promotes and manitains weight loss in obese patients for approximately 2 years.

By inhibiting the reuptake of noradrenaline and serotonin within the nervous system, sibutramine enhances satiety signals and potentates energy expenditure by stimulating thermogenesis. In controlled clinical trials, patients with obesity experience significant dose-related weight loss that's related to beneficial alterations in obesity-related risk factors, including glycaemic control in diabetics, and also the improvement of cardiovascular parameters like the blood lipid profile.

Sibutramine works well in patients with diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia, in addition to ethnic sub-populations, to whom obesity may pose a specific problem. Sibutramine is usually well tolerated by having an adverse event profile that's in line with its mechanism of action, however it may elicit modest increases in heartbeat and blood pressure level. However, these effects are unlikely to limit its use as long as careful patient selection and monitoring is utilized.

Using sibutramine, just like any anti-obesity agent, is recommended only in those patients having a body mass index (BMI) in excess of 30 kg/m2 or perhaps in those having a high-risk of comorbid disease providing their BMI is more than 27 kg/m2. Weight loss and weight maintenance is further improved when the sibutramine regimen is coupled with dietary modifications along with a workout programme. In a nutshell, sibutramine enhances weight loss, improves weight maintenance and may slow up the comorbidities related to obesity.

Previously, anti-obesity agents happen to be stigmatised with a severe adverse event profile along with a good reputation for drug misuse, to ensure that currently, pharmacological treatments are limited. The serotonergic agents (e.g. fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine) were withdrawn in the market in 1997 following reports of cardiac values changes and pulmonary hypertension.

Similarly, phenylpropanolamine was withdrawn in 2000 due to a reported increased risk of cerebral vascular events including haemorrhagic stroke. Furthermore, strict government regulations worldwide may have since impeded the introduction of new anti-obesity agents.

Current expectations of anti-obesity compounds are limited and therefore are aimed at a moderate decrease in body weight that is maintained only as long as medications persists.