Sibutramine: Risks, Side Effects, and Health Concerns

Sibutramine is the generic name for a prescription medication (Meridia) for obesity. Despite its effectiveness at aiding weight loss, sibutramine has the potential to cause serious side effects.

Identification

• The most common risk associated with sibutramine is an increase in blood pressure and heart rate, according to RxList.

Significance

• In FDA clinical trials published on RxList, sibutramine was shown to raise blood pressure levels by 1 mm to 3 mm Hg and heart rate by four to five beats per minute.

Features

• In order to detect any harmful increases in blood pressure and heart rate, it is important to have regular checkups with your doctor to monitor your overall health while you are taking Meridia.

Types of Other Risks

• Other risks associated with the use of sibutramine include hallucinations, comas, glaucoma, psychosis, heart attacks, severe allergic reactions, thyroid disease, seizures, uncontrollable bleeding and kidney disorders such as interstitial nephritis. Sibutramine also has the potential to cause suicidal thoughts in some patients, RxList reports.

Considerations

• Doctors rarely prescribe sibutramine for use during pregnancy. If you have a history of congestive heart failure, heart disease, anorexia, hypertension, brain damage, epilepsy, gallstones, stroke or kidney or liver disease, it may not be safe for you to take sibutramine due to its side effects, the Mayo Clinic warns.