Bad news about obesity treatments

Losing weight is supposed to be a key to improving cardiovascular health. Unfortunately, many of currently available weight-loss strategies actually come with certain side effects and doubtful effectiveness. Today, we are bringing you some (unfortunately) bad news from the weight loss therapy front.

Cardiovascular Risk with Meridia
Now, here is a weight-loss drug that  can actually be harmful for your heart! Ironic, isn’t it? he US FDA has issued a safety alert in connection with the anti-obesity drug Meridia (sibutramine) with cardiovascular disease because it significantly increases the risk for cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke. According to the FDA advisory:

Meridia is now contraindicated in patients with a history of cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease, stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), cardiac arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, or uncontrolled hypertension. Healthcare professionals should regularly monitor the blood pressure and heart rate of patients using Meridia and discontinue the drug if there are sustained increases in these measurements.

FDA Issues Warning Letters for Drugs Promoted in Fat Elimination Procedure
The new rave in weight-loss therapy might be a scam? The FDA has also issued a warning against the so-called “fat-melting Injections” that are offered in health spas and wellness clinics all over the US. The term coined for the procedure is “lipodissolve” which claims to be an effective nonsurgical alternative to liposuction.

Lipodissolve is a procedure involving a series of drug injections intended to dissolve and permanently remove small pockets of fat from various parts of the body. It also is known as mesotherapy, lipozap, lipotherapy, or injection lipolysis. The most commonly injected drugs are phosphatidylcholine and deoxycholate, usually in various combinations with one another.

The FDA states that the procedure hasn’t been approved and that there is no credible scientific evidence to indicate that it is effectives. In addition, the regulatory body says that although some of the ingredients may be harmless enough (vitamins, minerals, and herbal extracts), the safety of the combination of these ingredients hasn’t been thorough investigated. In addition, these injections are supposedly administered by beauty care professionals with little or no medical training.

According to Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.:

“We are concerned that these companies are misleading consumers. It is important for anyone who is considering this voluntary procedure to understand that the products used to perform lipodissolve procedures are not approved by the FDA for fat removal.”

The FDA has received reports of serious side effects that included permanent scarring, skin deformation, and deep painful knots under the skin.

According to a report in USA Today, several US spas received the FDA warning letter. These are All About You Medspa in Madison, Ind, Pure Med Spa of Boca Raton, Fla., Monarch Med Spa of King of Prussia, Pa., and three others. Another spa in Brazil has also been placed on the blacklist and the FDA has gotten in out with Brazilian regulators.