New diet pills on the horizon

March 26, 8:36 AMWeight Loss ExaminerGail Gedan Spencer

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Weight Loss Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

The Today show had a report on a trio of weight-loss drugs that are in the final stages of human trials and showing promise.

The drugs are actually combinations of current drugs on the market that aren't usually prescribed for weight loss but have weight-loss side effects: the antidepressant Wellbutrin; Topamax, which is used for seizures and migraines; and a component of the once popular weight-loss combo drug phen-fen, which was pulled from the market after serious heart-related side effects surfaced.

But as the accompanying video showed, there still is no magic bullet: People in these trials are made to keep a food journal and to exercise more. And they don't even know whether they're taking the drug or a placebo. So it could simply be the food journaling and exercise that is taking the weight off -- the safest "cure" of all.