Stimulants Sibutramine and Weight Loss?

[splenda]

I am interested in asking my general practitioner for some type of weight loss medication as I am obese and have had binge eating problems all my life. I was on dexamphetamine for ADHD, but once I stopped taking them in late 2008, I gained over 40lbs thanks to binge eating. Note that prior to dexamphetamine therapy I was chronically binge eating and had a hard time to control my weight. I went on a low carbohydrate diet about 5-6 years back and lost some weight but couldn't keep that weight off for a sufficient amount of time.

Now my BMI is about 32-33 and am having some trouble dieting. I tried the low carbohydrate diet two times already in the past 6 months without success (kept 'relapsing' to my old carb/fat filled diet) and had many periods of binge eating in the last 6 months also. Since my drug formulary covers sibutramine (Meridia) and since sibutramine is pretty much the 'safest' (in terms of cardiovascular issues) anorectic on the market out there now, would it be a good idea to ask my doctor for a trial of sibutramine? I know that phentermine is really bad on the cardiovascular system and there really haven't been many effective studies done on phentermine..

I could always get back on the ADHD medications (amphetamine or methylphenidate), but I don't really feel like taking any type of ADHD therapy right now... although I might re-start it in the future. Would it be better for me to just continue the treatment with dex-amphetamine or to try methylphenidate and treat my ADHD at the same time as losing weight or try out the sibutramine? Note that the sibutramine would be a lot easier to 'trial run' because I wouldn't have to see a psychiatrist for the prescription every month.

Any info would be appreciated, thanks. If mods feel this is more appropriate for healthy living or any other forum, please move.

 

[ady667]

Sibutramine

Well,I haven't used sibutramine for medical purposes but I do know a little about it.It is very efficient in reducing desire to eat and will probably help you loose weight quickly.However when you will stop taking it you will probably feel the desire to eat even stronger then before.

I took 8 pills of a product containing sibutramine and drank 3 beers.Happiness and energy flowed through my body until I went to sleep.The next day depression and tiredness were so incredible that I deemed it unworthy to try again.For the next week I never felt the urge to eat and it took almost 10 days for it to leave my body(my pee kept smelling like meds).The week after that my desire to eat was increased and I always felt hungry.

I think sibutramine is good if you want to loose some weight really fast like for a wedding or something but on the long run it's not worth it.

It may cause addictiveness,depression,problems sleeping and is dangerous for people that have a heart condition.

 

[splenda]

Well,I haven't used sibutramine for medical purposes but I do know a little about it.It is very efficient in reducing desire to eat and will probably help you loose weight quickly.However when you will stop taking it you will probably feel the desire to eat even stronger then before.

I took 8 pills of a product containing sibutramine and drank 3 beers.Happiness and energy flowed through my body until I went to sleep.The next day depression and tiredness were so incredible that I deemed it unworthy to try again.For the next week I never felt the urge to eat and it took almost 10 days for it to leave my body(my pee kept smelling like meds).The week after that my desire to eat was increased and I always felt hungry.

I think sibutramine is good if you want to loose some weight really fast like for a wedding or something but on the long run it's not worth it.

It may cause addictiveness,depression,problems sleeping and is dangerous for people that have a heart condition.

Well true, I gained a ton of weight after stopping 1.5 years of dexamphetamine in therapeudic doses (40mg/day.) That's why I'm obese now, but in the efforts to lose that weight gained I haven't been very successful.

Say if I get on the sibutramine, what would be a good way to not regain all the weight when stopping it? Also, what is the average amount of weight loss for people using sibutramine, and how long do people usually take sibutramine for? Is sibutramine euphoric like other amphetamines? Does sibutramine cause mood changes like amphetamines/methylphenidate does? One of the reasons why I want to get on sibutramine instead of back on the ADHD meds (amphetamine/methylphenidate/etc.) is because I don't really want the intense mood changes that amph/mph produces.

 

[Cloud_9]

Well true, I gained a ton of weight after stopping 1.5 years of dexamphetamine in therapeudic doses (40mg/day.) That's why I'm obese now, but in the efforts to lose that weight gained I haven't been very successful.

Say if I get on the sibutramine, what would be a good way to not regain all the weight when stopping it? Also, what is the average amount of weight loss for people using sibutramine, and how long do people usually take sibutramine for? Is sibutramine euphoric like other amphetamines? Does sibutramine cause mood changes like amphetamines/methylphenidate does? One of the reasons why I want to get on sibutramine instead of back on the ADHD meds (amphetamine/methylphenidate/etc.) is because I don't really want the intense mood changes that amph/mph produces.

If you are interested in how others have fared in similar predicaments try this link:

http://www.drugs.com/comments/sibutramine/for-obesity.html

But as for gaining weight after stimulant cessation? Happens to everyone; there is a reason your body more or less stays about the same weight unless you grossly over-indulge, over starve yourself to death, but I know you don't want to hear about that, and it is true that there is an over-abundance of food for the first time in human history, and for once; being thin is in...

But as for euphoria; due to the nature of that chemical structure, and its SE/NE re-uptake action, I can only say that you might be getting a greater sense of fulfillment from life (as an SSRI might do), but you surely won't get a overwhelming sense of euphoria that high-dose amphetamine use can elicit.

Ninja Edit: Here is the Wikipedia link (if you haven't already!): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibutramine which states: "It is a centrally-acting serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor structurally related to amphetamines,[3] although its mechanism of action is distinct." So while I can't be certain, I can say that you most likely won't be spun out of your mind on this weed-whacking your neighbors lawn at 4 in the morning...

Ninjas Strike Back! Edit 2: Another quote straight from Wikipedia: "Despite having a mechanism of action similar to tricyclic antidepressants, sibutramine has failed to demonstrate antidepressant properties in animal studies. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 1997[5] for the treatment of obesity."

 

[moonshadow82]

if memory serves me correctly, i lost about 8kg in a couple of weeks that was without changing my diet, ad not exercising! i also found it lessened cravings for cigs, too.

 

[dokomo]

Phentermine really helped me, it killed all desire to eat for me. It was hard to consume 1000cals a day.

 

[splenda]

if memory serves me correctly, i lost about 8kg in a couple of weeks that was without changing my diet, ad not exercising! i also found it lessened cravings for cigs, too.

Was this with taking only 15mg a day of sibutramine (in the morning)? Were you taking any thing else during this period?

I recently started on 15mg of sibutramine (Meridia) a day, orally, each morning. So far it's been not too bad.. I don't notice any side effects (or any effects really to be honest), except I notice I rarely if ever have hunger pains and tend to not overeat as much now; but I still am hungry... should I still expect weight loss from it?

The only downside is that it's a really expensive script... thankfully my insurance covers most of the price so I only have to pay $50 per 30x 15mg Meridia tablets (per month) instead of the $150-180 price that they ask for without insurance.

It doesn't give that intense amphetamine-like type of anorectic effect (where you can barely eat anything at all) but moreso feels more like a mild anorectic effect. I still want to eat, I just tend to not worry about food as much; while with amphetamines I wouldn't want to eat at all and could go days with barely eating anything.

I still hope that although the sibutramine isn't giving me the amphetamine-like anorectic effects that it'll still help me lose the weight that I need to get off...

 

[splenda]

I ended up having a really nasty reaction to the sibutramine... although it took about 8-10 days for any effects/side-effects to appear (probably due to the drug buildup in my system.)

Although I lost about 9lbs on it in 1.5 weeks, I also had really negative effects. It seemed like I had a mild form of serotonin syndrome/toxicity, as I had tremors, myoclonic twitches, mild hypomania/confusion, anxiety, insomnia, fasisculations, and many other psychological dysphoric side effects. It sucks because the anorectic effect of the sibutramine was just starting to really kick in and I was losing weight.. oh well.

So although the sibutramine was effective I suffered from way too many side-effects that forced me to stop treatment.

Does anyone know if I should just get back on Dexedrine? Would this help my weight loss?

 

[Vicky]

Everyone love to reduce weight and gain beautiful and toned figure, it is a good thing to do. It will help us to stay fit and healthy. Losing weight is not a difficult thing to do, with right guidance and some good methods one can easily achieve the goal of reducing weight. Dieting is not the only way to lose weight. There are other simple methods for weight loss.

 

[SassyChick]

I am also considering using sibutramine for weight loss. Although I wouldn't be followed up by a doctor because I only have 20 lbs to lose which is not enough for a prescription. The other drug I am considering ordering is Benzphetamine (didrex).
I was using a diet pill made locally here in Canada with BZP in it, which I purchased at the health food store, but it was taken off the shelves and was the only thing that has ever really worked for me. When they pulled that off the shelves, I found myself doing online research about BZP and then started taking actual amphetamines (MDMA, speed) for the same purposes; BZP was much harder to find. I actually found that the "real" amphetamines still did not work well at all in comparison to the BZP. But because it is so cheap, and newly illegal, it is impossible to find. So now I want to try something new. Does anyone know the amount I should be taking with either Sibutramine or Benzphetamine? I would say that my tolerance to most thermogenics is quite high, as well as my resistance to most appetite suppressants.