Addiction Treatment Drugs May Help with Weight Loss
A combination of naltrexone (a drug that is commonly used to treat alcohol and heroin addiction) and bupropion (a drug used to help people who are trying to quit smoking and patients with depression) has been found to assist in weight loss, according to an article published in the UK’s The Lancet. The pill, called Contrave, is thought to help curb food cravings.
Both medications have been used separately for more than 20 years, but this combination of drugs has never been approved as a weight loss pill in any country, according to Dr. Frank Greenway, a researcher at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in the Louisiana State University System.
He explained that buproprion activates neurons that play a role in appetite, and has led to small amounts of weight loss by itself. Naltrexone, in combination with buproprion, can lead to more weight loss as it affects the reward center of the brain.
In the study, 1,700 overweight and obese adults were offered a weight-loss program with tips on diet and exercise. Two-thirds of the participants were given the combination treatment, and the others were given placebo. Half of the participants completed the year-long trial.
Those taking the combination pill lost an average of 5 to 6 percent of their weight compared with 1.3 percent among those who took placebo. Excluding those who dropped out of the trial, people taking the combination pill lost 8 percent of their body weight.
Side effects included nausea, but it was noted that nausea usually went away if participants continued taking the medication. Other side effects included headaches, constipation, dizziness, vomiting, and dry mouth. People with seizure disorders should not take any drug that contains bupropion, as it can interfere with the disease.
Dr. Greenway noted that patients should combine the medication with dieting and exercise, adding that weight-loss drugs should only be taken by obese people with a body mass index of 30 or above. People with a body mass index of 27 or above may benefit from the medication if they have type II diabetes.
The pharmaceutical company Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc., has submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the medication could be approved in January.
Sources: CNN Health, Weight Loss Pill Comes from Addiction Drugs, August 2, 2010
BBC News, Emma Wilkinson, Addiction Drugs May Boost Weight Loss, July 29, 2010
