Reductil: Obesity drug taken off market over heart attack link

Jim

Big Boy
One of the most popular anti-obesity drugs is being withdrawn over fears it causes heart attacks and strokes, the medicines regulator has said.

Anyone on this?

LINK HERE
 
I very nearly took part in the trials for this 2 years ago. When I was talking to GSK about it they told me I wouldn't be able to take part due to my job as the pills mess with your blood pressure! As soon as they said that I knew I didn't want anything to do with it
 
I am on it Jim ... will be interesting to see if they actually DO stop it totally. It used to be prescribed and repeat prescribed with no checks and given out very freely. Now its a chore, it has to be proved its working for you, you have to have constant blood pressure checks / stethoscope on your chest etc.

I'll be pissed if they stop it :( It works for me and I am fine lol :D
 
omg, i've been taking them for the past 2 weeks and been feeling really ill, no enerygy, my heart beating so fast and it actually hurts, feeling dizzy as if i'm going to pass out, but apart from that i lost 7lbs while taking them. if they stop prescribing these i hope they can give me something else like xenical, i wouldnt mind.
 
if your feeling like that you really should see your doctor :) They do have adverse affects on some people :)
 
i work in a pharmacy and had the infor sent to us today.
It at the mometn has not been recalled. We were informaed that we are not to supply this medication to any patients without the doctors doctros permision, all those who go for a prescription will be asked when they last had a check up and unless it was earlier in the day we were not to supply and the patient was to make an appointment asap to decide what should now happen. The infomation has not been cirulated beyond this making it sound like there may be stronger controll over those on the drug e.g. more check ups and monitoring to ensure the satfey of those on it.
 
oh and BTW all medication ahs side effects which is why monitoring from either a pharmacist, doctors or other qualified person is essential. Tamzy1989, i would see a GP ASAP! if i had a customer come in describing the symptoms you are i would have them make an appointment ASAP to get a check up. When meds are invovled there is no point in taking chances. Xencial has side effects to but they are more, visual shall we say, so easier to keep a trak of yourself.
 
Tazy don't take anymore and go to your Dr asap! I had them last year and found they didn't really make that much difference. I guess different people react differently but don't put yourself in danger hun.
 
Had an update today - loks like they are being withdrawn for the market. Meaning that we are no longer to give them out on prescription and that GPS are not to prescribe them anymore. This may change but that was the information available today.
 
My ex father in law took these for a while and apart from a bit of extra weight was a fit and healthy man.

Not sure if there was a link but he used to eat rennies like they were going out of fashion. Always had indigestion/heartburn.

He died suddenly of a heart attack in his early fifties whilst still taking reductil.
 
i dont think there will be much info in the way of answering that. But, being pulled sounds possibly the best outcome at the moment.
 
I havebn on reductil for about 4 and hald months now and succesfully lost 3 stone 9ibs on these tablets since taking these i have had my bloos pressure monititored very carefully every 2 weeks by the nurse had my weight checked and was always asked if i had side affects i will be annoyed if these are withdrawn permantly as they are working for me and i have been monitered i know they dont work for everyone but i also think if they are going to withdraw these they also should look at which doctors where just prescribing without doing these chec ks on th people who where prescribed reductil
 
Thanks guys, i stopped taking them yesterday since i've been feeling worse so i think i'm gonna have to go to the docs on monday and ask for xenical instead, atleast i no what to expect with its side effects, i just dont wanna die from taking reductil, i'd rather be alive and fat than slim and dead
 
I asked fpor reductil about 4-5 years ago, not long before xenical came out and my doctor refused to prescribe them as the potential side effects were too much for me. She said she'd rather cope with the weight issues via an alternative method.

Scary stuff though.
 
Im on them and ill also be annoyed if im not given anymore. I had a check on Thursday (so thankfully have a new packet to last me another month!), and Ive had no problems at all. Theyve worked for me as ive lost 2 stone 9lbs in 5 months and go to the GP every 2 weeks for weight and blood pressure checks.
 
Well I am just trying to go the extra mile without them now, just in case I cannot get any more ... on day 2 now - feel more hungry but gonna keep you posted. I dunno if its more a mental thing to know I lost almost 7 stone in 6 months and need to get over my brain telling me you cannot do it without the meds.
 
I can understand why those who say they are working with no side effects will be disappointed but are you not concerned for your health? Drugs are big business and they aren't pulled for no reason. Just because you haven't had any problems yet doesn't mean there won't be any long term implications. If/when more people who had 'no bad effects' whilst taking them die you will be thankful for the lucky escape.

On the flip side of that, it could simply be that doctors have been prescribing these without stringent enough background checks!

Either way, when you have no intimate knowledge of the ingredients of the drugs you are taking it is best to air on the side of caution.
 
I think anybody using this site and actively dieting / trying to succeed at dieting are concerned for their health / well being or they wouldn't be making that step forward. But I think when you compound it into people trying to be successful after trying many methods prior to using surgery as a last resort and finding that reductil is working for them, the blinkers will naturally come up provided it is not showing any immediate adverse affects. I have been on it a long time now and no affects on me what so ever - and checked up regularly. It is like surgery, there are some huge risks involved, people have died from it - yet people will do it as a last resort as it will most likely work for them. I would gladly take reductil from a personal level for another 6 months if I had the choice provided my regular check ups came back ok.

I myself am trying to ween off them since this news ... I am determined to do it, but the last time I did I was not successful. - This time I will be I am sure... especially since pure protein isolate powder with breakfast seems to make me fuller for much longer as well as with my dinner. So hopefully this can replace reductil for me.
 
hi shiny tooth, its a hard thing to ween yourself off of any meds so good on you for doing it. Obvs let your GP know though. I think there is still confusion about whats going on as ffar as im aware though - things arent put into action this quickly normally. And i completley sympathise with people for whom this works and are having no side effects. by the sounds of it there is nothing similar on teh market. i mean Xencial works differently (stops the body from being able to absorb fat - so only works with people on certain types of diets). Hoping that people on it and are taken off are given sufficient support and advice about what to do from now on though.
 
Back
Top