Salts That Reduce Appetite

When you’re hungry, you eat, and when you’re full, you stop eating. That's all there is to appetite and satiation, right? Actually, the real story is much more complicated. Your appetite is regulated by a complex system that involves several different regions in the brain, various hormones and neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers in the nervous system. This system is susceptible to chemicals such as methamphetamine and sibutramine salts.

Hydrochloride Salts

Methamphetamine and sibutramine are both drugs that occur as salts; in this case, the salt is hydrochloride. A salt is formed when an acidic substance reacts with a base substance, according to microbiologist Dr. A.K. Williams. Common table salt – sodium chloride – is a combination of hydrochloric acid and caustic soda. In the case of both amphetamine and sibutramine, the acid used is hydrochloric acid, thus the term hydrochloride.

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, or HPA, is composed of three structures in your brain, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. The hypothalamus controls a number of body functions such as sleeping, body temperature and eating. The pituitary gland controls your thyroid, which regulates your metabolism and can affect appetite. The amygdala regulates and controls major emotional activities such as depression and anxiety, emotions which may cause overeating or anorexia.

Hormones and Neurotransmitters

The HPA system also regulates hormones such as glucocorticoids and reproductive hormones, and releases neurotransmitters that regulate stress, mood and appetite. The hypothalamus in particular is sensitive to methamphetamine hydrochloride, according to an article in the February 2006 issue of “Archives of Disease in Childhood.” The authors note that interactions between the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and other systems in the brain may stimulate appetite even when the body does not need food, leading to obesity.

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine hydrochloride is available as a controlled substance prescription drug and is also used as an illegal or street drug. Amphetamine, another form of the drug, is also a salt. Either may be used for the treatment of obesity and for weight control, although tolerance to the drug can develop and the risk of abuse or addiction is high, according to Drugs.com. The drugs suppress appetite by affecting the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine and by stimulating the satiety center in the brain.

Subitramine

Subitramine was originally marketed as an appetite suppressant and for use as a weight loss aid, according to Drugs.com. It has a number of side effects – the most serious being severe cardiovascular problems such as heart attack and stroke. It acts on the brain and neurotransmitters in a fashion similar to methamphetamine. The manufacturer voluntarily removed subitramine from the market on October 8, 2010, at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.