Should govt pay for fat drug?

[Pseudonym]

An article in Stuff over the weekend...

An Auckland GP and academic is calling for a psycho-stimulant class C drug to be publicly funded for the treatment of obesity.

Dr Anne-Thea McGill has treated obese and overweight patients with Duromine for 15 years, and said it could be an effective aid for weight loss.

"I think we need to be grown-up about it and say if we do have sensible drugs then we should use them."

The active ingredient in Duromine, phentermine, is chemically related to amphetamine and has been used as an appetite suppressant since the 1980s.

McGill said phentermine produced a "fight or flight" response and activated adrenaline which effectively reduced cravings - especially for energy-dense food.

"It takes the edge off the rich food, which is really nice, so people have more time to think, 'Oh yes, that salad looks quite nice' - and that's exactly what they need to feel like."

Most overweight or obese people were addicted to food, and drugs should be more accessible to help people make necessary lifestyle changes, McGill said.

At a cost of $80 to $100 a month, the drug was an option only for the few who could afford it, she said.

Professor of psychiatry and addiction medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch, Doug Sellman is an advocate for the use of drugs to treat obesity.

He supported McGill's call for anti-obesity medications to be publicly funded.

"The key thing in recovering from an addiction is lifestyle change, but in that first 12 months or so some people just really need other psychological assistance."

He started prescribing a combination of Naltrexone and Buproprion to treat obese patients about six months ago.

"What it seems to do is decrease their craving . . . which is right at the heart of addiction."

 

(Read the full version here)

 
Duramine is (or was) a popular drug with bodybuilders prepping for a show. So I'm sure there's a few people here who've tried it. What do you reckon? Does it help?

 

And at $20/week, should this be publicly funded? Or, as these people think, will it only produce patients that just eat less on the same bad diet, rather than teaching them to eat a new, good diet?

[Realtalk]

In my opinion it's a bad idea. At the moment it's $70 per month for the 15mg and $90 per month for the 30mg. I think if it's funded people won't appreciate it as much as if they are paying the full cost. What I mean is the nutrition part if you are paying full cost you are more likely to follow the instructions religiously. It will just be abused if it's funded ad it gives you a it of a kick/buzz.

We already fund enough medicines... Do we really need to fund another one and just encourage the use of prescription drugs. I would rather see the money put towards other things like helping people with funding for expensive cancer treatments and things like this.

[GyzzBrah]

They could subsidise it through acc idk for people who are morbidly obese and risk of dropping dead. (though their hearts probably wouldn't handle the stimulant at this point?). Other than that hell no, regular obesity is a lifestyle choice they can pay for it if they want to. Actually I think I've seen american otc fat burners with duramine in them.

[Leeroid]

I don't think it's a fat burner as such in the sense that it increases your metabolism but more of a appetite suppressant. While I think that it is possible for everyone to control what they eat, I do believe that some people have a harder time controlling their food intake and suffer more from cravings which are caused by hormones/genetics. If there is a way for them to reduce their cravings then I think it should be explored and considered.

[Hu Gh]

Yeah its appetite suppressant. This whore I was seeing about 3 years ago and her whore mates (yes actual whore but I didnt pay obv) used to jam it. Bit of a buzz and kills hunger. She tried saying it stops body absorbing fat but idk if its true she probably talking shit

[maccaz]

first drug i ever tried, pulled allnighter when i was 14ish and had 8 hour shift cleaning dishes started at 9am my dad said oh pop one of these youll feel sweet. responsible parenting. brb 14 yr old me out of body experience etc from sleep deprivation + duromine

 

probably would find it mean now but at the time scariest day of my life, forgot i'd taken it and thought i was become brain damaged while 3 chefs yelling at me cos forgetting what im doing every 30 seconds lol

[ngapuhi strong]

mate of mine just offered me some of this to help finish off my cut, but if all is does is make you not want to eat then its probably not going to help way i want it to, seams cheeper to take clen

[maccaz]

in aus forums heaps of people talk up dnp + durmine

dnp for big fat burning

duromine to combat the lethargy and hunger pains from dnp

 

makes sense

[Optimass]

long term use promotes dependency - I seem to remember there being some kind of house wife epidemic in the late 80s?? - needs to be closely monitored but it will work - challenge is what are the qualifying standards as far as who gets it - Im not sure of the statistics but there are a fair few "obese" people around that would like to be skinnier ... I wish I knew what is the budgeted cost of doing it?  

[Chemo]

Yeah I remember duromine, it didn't do much to me more than say bzp.

My mate found it super buzzy, got that anxiety some get after amphetamine like party pills.

He just couldn't function on it.

They should prescribe some lighter Stims like the old dmaa (rip) and some fucking walking.

[atrollappears]

An article in Stuff over the weekend...

An Auckland GP and academic is calling for a psycho-stimulant class C drug to be publicly funded for the treatment of obesity.

Dr Anne-Thea McGill has treated obese and overweight patients with Duromine for 15 years, and said it could be an effective aid for weight loss.

"I think we need to be grown-up about it and say if we do have sensible drugs then we should use them."

The active ingredient in Duromine, phentermine, is chemically related to amphetamine and has been used as an appetite suppressant since the 1980s.

McGill said phentermine produced a "fight or flight" response and activated adrenaline which effectively reduced cravings - especially for energy-dense food.

"It takes the edge off the rich food, which is really nice, so people have more time to think, 'Oh yes, that salad looks quite nice' - and that's exactly what they need to feel like."

Most overweight or obese people were addicted to food, and drugs should be more accessible to help people make necessary lifestyle changes, McGill said.

At a cost of $80 to $100 a month, the drug was an option only for the few who could afford it, she said.

Professor of psychiatry and addiction medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch, Doug Sellman is an advocate for the use of drugs to treat obesity.

He supported McGill's call for anti-obesity medications to be publicly funded.

"The key thing in recovering from an addiction is lifestyle change, but in that first 12 months or so some people just really need other psychological assistance."

He started prescribing a combination of Naltrexone and Buproprion to treat obese patients about six months ago.

"What it seems to do is decrease their craving . . . which is right at the heart of addiction."

 

(Read the full version here)

 

Duramine is (or was) a popular drug with bodybuilders prepping for a show. So I'm sure there's a few people here who've tried it. What do you reckon? Does it help?

 

And at $20/week, should this be publicly funded? Or, as these people think, will it only produce patients that just eat less on the same bad diet, rather than teaching them to eat a new, good diet?

 

If the Auckland GP had done her homework, she would know there are newer anti-obesity drugs now on the market with FDA approval:

 

Lorcaserin (previously known as APD-356), marketed as Belviq® by Arena

Pharmaceuticals, is a selective 5-HT2C receptor agonist that specifically activates 5-HT2C

receptors over other 5-HT receptor subtypes. This characteristic of lorcaserin limits the risk

of hallucinations due to 5-HT2A activation and the risk of cardiovascular side effects,

including valvulopathy and pulmonary hypertension, through 5-HT2B receptors. This

preferential affinity to 5-HT2C receptors provides lorcaserin the efficacy of previous

serotonergic anti-obesity treatments without the undesirable safety concerns that led to their

withdrawal...