Appetite suppressants and hunger suppressants: an overview

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Weight loss drugs have become especially popular this year due to long-term self-isolation. A sedentary lifestyle, the availability of a refrigerator, the ability to devote more time to cooking in order to please household members with culinary delights. All this gradually and imperceptibly led to the fact that we gained excess weight. It is not possible to reset it on your own for the same reasons - outside help is required. And then appetite suppressants come to the rescue.

But when we arrive at the pharmacy, our eyes run up. What to choose? Absolutely all products promise weight loss, and quickly and effectively. But is it really so? Do they reduce appetite or do something else? Let's take a look at this issue.

First of all, it is necessary to divide all funds into two large groups - drugs and dietary supplements. Dietary supplements, unlike medicinal products, do not have to undergo clinical trials and prove their effectiveness during registration, only safety when used. That is why the assurances of manufacturers of miraculous properties are quite unfounded, you will not find any data on this in serious medical publications. And no doctor will advise you on them. Consequently, you will make the purchase at your own peril and risk - either they will help or not. Indirect evidence that disappointment comes rather quickly is their short life on the shelves of Russian pharmacies. Having existed for several years, they disappear without a trace, and others come to replace them.

The second group is appetite suppressants. With them, the situation is completely different. Before being marketed, any medicinal product undergoes a long period of clinical research, which sometimes takes 5-7, or even more, years. Then registration with the Ministry of Health and obtaining a registration certificate. Certain requirements are imposed on drugs for weight loss - the effectiveness should be at least 5% of body weight loss in half of the people who took them for a certain time. If this condition is not met, the remedy is deemed ineffective and is not registered. That is why there are very few such funds - only three molecules under different trade names.

Orlistat

Orlistat is an old, proven remedy that appeared in the world back in 1998 and underwent a lot of research. Preparations containing the active ingredient orlistat and produced under different names (Xenical, Orsoten, Listata) do not affect appetite in any way. Their principle of operation is completely different. They block the absorption of 30% of fats from food, due to which the caloric content of the diet decreases, and a person loses weight. But if a person simply cannot control the amount of food consumed and constantly pulls various sweets into his mouth, orlistat will not help.

Liraglutide

This tool appeared relatively recently, literally 2-3 years ago. It also went through all the necessary research, but so far there is not much experience in the application. Liraglutide is produced under the trade name Saxenda and has an effect on the absorption of carbohydrates. Like orlistat, the drug does not affect appetite.

Sibutramine

Products containing sibutramine appeared quite a long time ago - in 1999. A lot of experience in application and clinical research has been accumulated during this time. Therefore, both the mechanism of action of the substance and its effectiveness are well studied. The group of drugs containing sibutramine is precisely what affects the appetite, with which most of us have problems. These appetite suppressants are currently the most effective for weight loss.

Mechanism of action

Sibutramine affects certain centers in the brain, thereby accelerating the onset of a feeling of fullness, which remains for a long time. Studies have shown that this reduces the caloric intake of food by 25% and the amount of food consumed by 20%, as a result, weight loss can be from 10 to 17%. A pleasant bonus is that sibutramine also increases the heat production of the body, due to which about 100 kcal is additionally burned per day.

How to use

The appetite suppressants and hunger suppressants containing sibutramine are available in two dosages - 10 mg and 15 mg and should be taken 1 capsule in the morning. Reception is recommended to start with 10 mg. But if, within one month of continuous use, the decrease in body weight is less than 2 kg, they switch to 15 mg.

Some people, starting to take appetite suppressants, expect the effect of the "miracle pill", which will do everything for them, and quickly. Unfortunately, such drugs have not yet been invented. Absolutely all appetite suppressants work only in combination with diet and exercise. If you take sibutramine, but do not monitor your diet, there will be little sense. Even if there is no appetite, you can eat a lot without it, just for the company or because it is so in the family. Appetite suppressants will not burn fat for you, they will help you stay on a low-calorie diet and prevent breakdowns.

Duration of admission

You have been gaining extra pounds for months, if not years. Don't expect to get rid of them in a couple of weeks. Prepare for the process to take significantly longer. The effect of sibutramine develops gradually and is maximally manifested after three months of continuous use. But it is better to take it from 6 to 12 months, because only then the correct eating habits are formed that will not allow you to gain weight again, and the effect of losing weight will delight you for many years.

As proof, an interesting study was conducted - they took two groups of people, one took sibutramine for 3 months, the other for 1 year. In the first three months, the decrease in body weight in both groups was the same. Only after that, people from the first group stopped taking the drug and began to gain weight again, and people from the second group continued taking it, but their weight began to decrease not so noticeably.

The most interesting thing that happened to people from both groups two years after the start of the study. All people in the first group returned to their original weight, some gained even more than they had. And people from the second group practically all retained the same weight that they had at the time of the end of the admission.

Side effects

Open the instructions for any, even the most harmless drug, and you will see that absolutely all of them have side effects. A conscientious manufacturer must warn about this, and the Ministry of Health will not register the drug without this. Sibutramine also has side effects. Dry mouth, headache, and insomnia are most common. According to the same instructions, for most people they go away on their own in the first four weeks of taking. If the side effects are serious, which interferes with the reception, it is better to cancel the drug.

Preparations on the Russian market

The first drug to appear in our pharmacies was Meridia, then Lindaxa. But now you will not find them, they are no longer supplied to Russia. But there are other drugs with the same composition - Reduxin and Goldline Plus. Both drugs are domestically produced, have exactly the same composition and are available in the same dosages - 10 mg and 15 mg. Even their packages are the same - 30, 60 and 90 capsules, for 1, 2 and 3 months of admission, respectively. However, there is a difference between them - in cost. Goldline Plus is, on average, 25-30% more affordable. And this is very important, considering that the drug should be taken for a long time - at least 3 months, and preferably 6-12 months. The lower the cost, the more likely a person will take the drug as long as necessary to consolidate the result.

Dispensing from pharmacies

All appetite suppressants for weight loss are prescription drugs, so you should consult your doctor before purchasing them.

Why the result can be disappointing

There may be several reasons why you may be disappointed with the result. Here are the most common ones:

1. Regularity of admission. If the drug is not taken every day, then the maximum effect will not develop. The days on the diet will be replaced by the holidays of gluttony and vice versa, as a result, all efforts will be reduced to zero.
2. Duration of admission. In one to two months, you will not be able to change your eating habits that have formed over the years. Only long-term use of the drug can change your attitude to food.
3. Power control. Deliberately avoiding dietary restrictions in the expectation that the drug will do everything for you can lead to the fact that you will not eat less. And to lose weight, respectively, too. At least for the first time, try to keep a food diary or install an application that will do everything for you, for example, the Goldline application. Then it will be clear what you need to eat and in what quantities in order to lose weight.
4. The presence of diseases. In the presence of a number of diseases, overweight and obesity are their consequences. This is observed, for example, in hypothyroidism. That is why a specialist consultation is required before starting the appointment. Perhaps, by eliminating the main problem, the weight will decrease on its own without additional effort.
5. Taking medications. Some drugs, especially those containing sex hormones, can lead to weight gain. For example, some women complain that after starting contraception, their weight began to increase. This is not a reason to despair. Different combined oral contraceptives have a different composition. See your doctor to change the product for another.