The Truth About Lorcaserin Or Belviq The Diet Pill

The FDA has approved the first diet pill for 13 years. Its name is Lorcaserin,and should not be confused with other weight loss pills that are awaiting approval. Once it has been given the full go ahead, it will be marketed under the name Belviq. It has been developed by Arena Pharmaceuticals and its main aim is to control appetite.

With so many Americans and Europeans obese, lorcaserin is being hailed as the new wonder pill. For many people who find it hard to diet, or keep the weight off, this should hopefully be the latest in a long line of pills, tablets, teas and diets that actually might work.

Taking data from the latest trials it seems that the drug was successful. 7.5 percent of test patients lost 5 percent of their body weight compared to 20% taking a placebo. In plain English this means that the patients that took the tablet lost 12 pounds compared to the patients who had taken the placebo. Their average weight loss was 2.2 pounds.

The drug works by aiding and controlling the patients appetite. To be more exact, the drug activates the brain receptors for serotonin. The result is that the recipient feels full up after eating a small amount of food.

Serotonin is also involved in mood drugs, such as antidepressants.Researchers are stating that the diet pill does not in anyway affect any other illness or drug. It is purely aimed at suppression of the appetite.

For anybody who is really overweight the health benefits are clear. To be obese brings its own problems with health. Diabetes, breathlessness, blood clots and heart disease. Most people who really do find it hard to lose weight are ready to take this pill. But are there problems that we cannot see?

There is a question about the safety of Lorcaserin. Recently in the news, Qnexa, another diet pill was said to be the cause of heart disease. The problem occurred when they discovered that it was the possible cause of irreparable heart valve damage. The FDA withdrew the drug, and the tests are ongoing.

When Lorcaserin was given the go ahead for human consumption, there was an outcry from protesters concerned about health risks with this new drug.

Side Effects of Lorcaserin Brand name Belviq. Listed below are the effects on non diabetic or ill patients.

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Constipation

Patients With Diabetes.

• Low Blood Sugar
• Headache
• Back Pain
• Cough
• Fatigue

Other side effects have been noted in animal testing are tumors and heart valve problems.

So what is the best way to lose weight, and keep it off? If you are grossly overweight then the risks of taking a pill that will help reduce your weight may sound like the ideal solution. On the other hand should you chose to lose weight over a long term period then good dieting, exercise and calorie counting is probably the best way to go. It really isn't worth risking your health to lose weight that little bit quicker.

Of course the majority of weight loss diet pills out there today are perfectly safe. Many people use them with absolutely no problem to their health. The best advice is to check and double check before you start taking something that may or may not be safe to consume. Losing weight with the help of diet pills may just be the push you need to start exercising and dieting properly. Using both methods will surely help keep the weight off and your overall health will improve immensely.