Common Side Effects of Meridia

The most common side effects of Meridia include headache, dry mouth, anorexia, constipation and insomnia. Meridia is a controlled substance, which means that abuse may lead to dependency. If you or a loved one has taken or are taking Meridia, and have any concerns regarding any of the above, you should contact a physician immediately. Patients being treated with Meridia should see their doctor for regular follow-up visits, during which the doctor can carefully monitor their overall health, including regular monitoring of blood pressure and pulse rate.

Health Concerns Raised Regarding Meridia

In March 2002, Public Citizen, a national nonprofit consumer advocacy group founded by Ralph Nader, submitted a petition to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to which the FDA reports, asking that Meridia be removed from the market because of doubts about its safety and benefits. According to Public Citizen, Meridia had been involved in 29 deaths (19 heart related) and hundreds of other negative reactions between February 1998 and September 2001.

In the petition, Public Citizen alleged that of the 397 serious adverse reactions reported to the FDA since Meridia was approved, 152 required hospitalization; 143 of those hospitalized had irregular heartbeats. The group also pointed out that the Ministry of Health in Italy had just suspended sales of the drug because of two deaths there, and its safety was being reviewed by other countries. Public Citizen believed that Meridia had no evidence of long-term benefit, and major evidence of short-term risk and death.

In response, experts cautioned that it was difficult to determine if people died because they were taking Meridia or because they were already suffering from obesity-related diseases. In fact, when Meridia was approved studies had shown that Meridia increased the blood pressure of some patients, and experts had warned that people with heart disease should not take the drug.