However, he blames Redux for the heart damage and other chronic conditions he has developed since he took the medication. One pill got me into this nightmare, he says, I m pretty much dysfunctional. I get maybe three hours of activity per day. This inactivity has caused his weight to increase to 431 pounds. These adults are twice as likely to die as a result of cardiovascular diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Obesity can also cause emotional distress, including depression.
Obese people also face prejudice or discrimination in the work place and social settings. By 1999, the FDA attributed three deaths to Fen-Phen. Now that a new generation of obesity pills is on the market, patients and medical professionals are reflecting on the hazards of Fen-Phen and wondering if these new drugs are indeed safer. Most obesity prescriptions are appetite suppressants. According to Dr. Arthur Frank, medical director of the George Washington University Weight Management Program in Washington D.C., these suppressants decrease the appetite by increasing the level of some of the chemicals in the brain that regulate eating, such as catecholamine, serotonin, dopamine, or norepinephrine.