Fen Phen & Weight Loss
Fen Phen was a medicine that was used to assist with weight loss. It was an appetite suppressant that was comprised of two separate drugs, phentermine and fenfluramine. Later on in Fen-phen's run, it also consisted of dexfenfluramine. The medication was manufactured by a company known as American Home Products, which is now called Wyeth. It was taken off the market in 1997 due to causing serious health problems, including heart valve issues and deadly pulmonary hypertension.
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Phentermine
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Phentermine raises the metabolism by obstructing neurotransmitter, norepinephrine, and dopamine reabsorption. All of these different chemicals can reduce the appetite. Phentermine can bring upon several side effects, which include nervousness, anxiety, sleeplessness and constipation.
Fenfluramine
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Fenfluramine assists with weight loss by raising levels of serotonin by both obstructing reabsorption (like phentermine), and also by stimulating and encouraging production. In general, serotonin comes about due to dietary intake. With more food intake, serotonin levels increase. Fenfluramine increases these levels and also creates a feeling of fullness and satisfaction. Some possible side effects of fenfluramine are diarrhea and drowsiness.
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Withdrawal
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Fen Phen was believed to cause very serious and life-threatening medical conditions, such as heart valve disease and pulmonary hypertension. As a result, it was taken off the market in September 1997. Many individuals had serious health problems due to having too much serotonin inside of their body. Some deaths were linked to Fen Phen.
Function
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The excess levels of serotonin were behind the health problems that resulted from use of Fen Phen. The phentermine was not believed to be the culprit, but instead the fenfluramine. The fenfluramine stimulated the serotonin 2C receptor, which resulted in a feeling of fullness and therefore eating less. However, as a bad side effect, it also stimulated the serotonin 2B receptor, which caused several extremely severe heart problems.
Combination
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Fen Phen functioned with both fenfluramine and phentermine. The two drugs worked together by altering the brain's serotonin levels, which lead to the reduction of the appetite, and by raising the burning of fat and enhancing of the metabolism. The medication was intended to be used solely by individuals who were morbidly obese. However, many simply overweight people used Fen Phen for weight loss help as well.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Victoria Garcia
