Use of Weight Loss Medications

This medical practice uses medications to help spur on weight loss. Medications that we use often may include phentermine (Adipex-P™) or diethylproprion (Tenuate Dospan™). While these medications are approved for weight loss, they have some limitations with regard to who can use them.

Phentermine (Adipex-P ™) and diethylproprion (Tenuate Dospan™) are not indicated for use in a patient who has one or more of the following medical conditions:

Advanced arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
Cardiovascular disease (heart disease)
Uncontrolled moderate to severe hypertension (a blood pressure that is not well controlled)
Hyperthyroidism (a patient who has high thyroid function)
Glaucoma
Pregnancy
Nursing mothers

Furthermore, this practice will not prescribe these medications to patients with the following medical issues for the purposes of patient safety:

Alcoholism
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease/Emphysema
Certain patients with moderate to severe asthma
Not well-controlled seizure disorder
Patients undergoing chemotherapy
Patients using illicit drugs
Patients using medications to treat attention deficit disorder
Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension

Patients who take certain medications known as MAO inhibitors are strongly cautioned to not take these weight loss medications at the same time. Some of these medications have not been used in a long time (or are not widely used) but a list is made available below for your information:

benmoxin (Nerusil, Neuralex), hydralazine (Apresoline), hydrazine, iproclozide (Sursum), iproniazid (Marsilid, Iprozid, Ipronid, Rivivol, Propilniazida), isocarboxazid (Marplan), mebanazine (Actomol), Metfendrazine (H.M.-11), monomethylhydrazine, nialamide (Niamid), phenelzine (Nardil), pheniprazine (Catron), phenoxypropazine (Drazine), phenylhydrazine, pivalylbenzhydrazine (Tersavid, Neomarsilid), procarbazine (Matulane, Natulan, Indicarb), safrazine (Safra), tranylcypromine (Parnate), befloxatone, brofaromine (Consonar), cimoxatone, clorgyline, harmine, harmaline, tetrahydroharmine, methylene blue, minaprine (Cantor), moclobemide (Aurorix, Manerix), pirlindole (Pirazidol), toloxatone (Humoryl), tyrima (CX157), catechin, desmethoxyyangonin, epicatechin, Fo-Ti, lazabemide, pargyline (Eutonyl), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Deprenyl, Emsam), amphetamine (Adderall, Dexedrine, Vyvanse), AET (Monase), AMT (Indopan), furazolidone (Furoxone, Dependal-M) (an antibiotic), Ginkgo Biloba, Liquorice, Linezolid (Zyvox, Zyvoxam, Zyvoxid), MDMA ("Ecstasy"), Methamphetamine (Desoxyn), Myristicin (found in nutmeg, parsley, and dill), PMA (PMMA and PMEA, Rhodiola Rosea, Siberian Ginseng, St John's wort, ,Tribulus Terrestris, Yerba Mate, Yohimbe.

Warnings have been established for people who also take a particular type of medication for depression known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) which include: fluoxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine, paroxetine. While no proven safety issues have been thoroughly established when these two medication types are taken together, the United States Food and Drug Administration advises caution as does ThinRx Weight Loss Centers, LLC.

Patients who use alcohol and over-the-counter herbal preparations are cautioned and should discontinue use of these during the period that these weight loss medications are prescribed.