‘Miracles’ occur on a fairly regular basis in the diet and weight loss industry. No American drug store would be complete without a floor-to-ceiling display of the many miraculous diet aids available for purchase. Occasionally, even a prescription miracle diet drug will burst onto the scene, filling desperate dieters with hope, draining their wallets, and quickly slipping out of the spotlight as disappointments and side effects are reported. These empty promises cost much more than their unreasonable retail price, robbing us of hope that there will ever be a day when food and weight loss won’t rule our lives. Miracles simply don’t exist. Or do they?

If you define a ‘miracle drug’ as one that consistently results in weight loss, appetite suppression, and ends binge eating, Naltrexone might fit the bill. Want your miracle drug to have a long and well documented history of safe and effective treatment for a variety of conditions? How about a miracle you can afford with or without health insurance? With more that 30 years of magic under its belt, it is proven and patent-free.

DuPont may be sitting on the best kept secret to weight loss success ever discovered. Originally introduced to Americans in 1967 as a treatment for opiate addiction, its profoundly positive effects on a variety of conditions, including weight and eating disorders, were accidental discoveries. Its own creators could never have imagined its benefits in treating obesity, bulimia, alcoholism, Multiple Sclerosis, and more. So why haven’t obese Americans heard of DuPont's secret miracle drug?

Over a 30 year history, its powerful effects on weight loss have never gained the attention they deserve. When the Endo, the New York pharmaceutical company that invented the drug, was purchased by DuPont shortly after the drug's creation, the new owners saw little market potential in the medication. The drug was available for prescription, but DuPont failed to invest the financial resources for studies which would have expanded the FAA’s approved uses for the drug.

Medical professionals, however, witnessed the medication's effects on weight control and obsessive compulsive eating and began investing what little resources they had. But with limited money to invest in research and studies, their efforts focused on using the drug to treat bulimia. The results of their studies showed Naltrexone blocked the compulsion to binge and overeat in almost all who participated. It literally stopped overeating and restored sanity and health to those it treated.

Somehow, the connection between binge eating and obesity didn’t surface immediately. By the time the drug was taken seriously as an effective means of losing weight, the patent had expired and there was no money to be made in exploring its potential. Rather than invest in expanding the uses of a drug that had outlived its profitability, researchers turned their attention to developing weight loss drugs that combined Naltrexone with other medications, creating new medications which COULD be patented and profitable. The newest drug built on Naltrexone is Contrave.

Essentially, in spite of its amazing effects, its limited potential as a cash cow continues to keep the drug a secret.

Though not widely in use for weight loss, it can be prescribed by any physician, but usually isn’t. Most family doctors are unaware of its use in the treatment of weight loss.

If you are interested in trying the drug for weight loss, you can get the drug prescribed by your family physical, but you should be prepared with the information your doctor needs. Look for articles on its use in treating binge eating. Print copies of all the information your can find to furnish your doctor with the information he or she needs to prescribe the drug safely.

No miracle weight loss drug would be worth its weight without a few health hazards. High doses of the drug have been discovered to cause liver damage in some patients. Also, people with existing liver problems should not take this medication.

For information on all the drug’s warnings and benefits, visit: http://www.drugs.com/pro/naltrexone.html