Sibutramine, marketed under the brand name Meridia, is diet drug that suppresses your appetite. But in October 2010, representatives of the Food and Drug Administration declared the appetite suppressant unsafe; the manufacturer agreed to stop selling the drug in the United States. Anyone who is still taking sibutramine should discontinue the drug and switch to a safer appetite suppressant with the assistance of a doctor, advises PubMed Health.
Serious Side Effects
Sibutramine caused an unacceptable number of heart attacks and strokes in patients, according to the Food and Drug Administration. If you are still taking Meridia, you have a 16 percent higher chance of suffering from a fatal heart attack or stroke, cardiac arrest that responds to resuscitation efforts or a nonfatal heart attack or stroke. Symptoms that require immediate medical attention include severe dizziness, chest pain, heart palpitations, abnormal heart rate or rhythm and lightheadedness.
Common Side Effects
People who took sibutramine as directed usually lost at least 4 lbs in their first month of treatment, according to PubMed Health. Common side effects associated with the drug, which do not require emergency medical assistance unless they become severe, include headache, dry mouth, weakness, back pain, runny nose, difficulty falling or staying asleep and painful menstrual periods. Drinking alcohol, grapefruit juice or caffeine worsened common side effects.
Safe Disposal Guidelines
You should dispose of your sibutramine or Meridia pills in a safe manner consistent with federal drug disposal guidelines, warns the Food and Drug Administration. Take your pills out of its original prescription bottle and mix them with a substance such as kitty litter or used coffee grounds; this reduces the risk of children or pets wanting to get into the mixture. Then, place a bag or can over the mixture and throw it out with your household garbage.
Sibutramine Alternatives
Your doctor may decide to take you off of diet pills entirely or can prescribe a new appetite suppressant. Phentermine is the most common diet aid in the United States, but can only be used for up to 12 weeks at a time, according to the National Institute on Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. You can try the over-the-counter or prescription fat-blocker orlistat, but this drug does not suppress your appetite; it stops the fat from your food from being digested in your body. All diet pills carry the risk of side effects; appetite suppressants can cause increased blood pressure and are habit-forming while fat-blockers can cause bowel and in some cases liver problems.
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