The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Meridia, the brand name of the generic drug sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate, in November 1997 for the long-term treatment of obesity. It is manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, who also sells the drug in Europe under the brand names Reductil, Reduxade, and Ectiva.

Meridia affects the appetite control centers in the brain. It reduces food intake by increasing satiety, or the feeling of fullness, but it is not an appetite suppressant. Meridia hinders the reabsorption in the brain of two chemicals that make people feel full. By not allowing these chemicals to be absorbed by the nerve cells in the brain, a feeling of fullness occurs sooner, which should lead to reduced food intake and, subsequently, to weight loss.

While the average weight loss from Meridia use is 5 to 9 percent within six months, Abbott Laboratories warns that obesity is a chronic condition. Since weight is regained quickly when medication is withdrawn, most patients must take Meridia permanently (either constantly or in cycles) in order to maintain weight loss.

People Who Should Not Take Meridia

Currently, Meridia is one of only two pharmacologic options for long-term (up to 2 years) weight management approved by both the FDA and the European regulatory agencies. An individual cannot take Meridia if he or she is taking a prescription medicine that falls in a group of drugs called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), which are sometimes used to treat depression or Parkinson's disease. Meridia also cannot be taken if patients have anorexia nervosa, are taking other weight loss medications that act on the brain, or are especially sensitive to any of the ingredients in Meridia.

Meridia should not be used in patients with a history of coronary artery disease, arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, or stroke. Meridia substantially increases blood pressure in some patients, and regular monitoring of blood pressure is required when taking the drug. Meridia should be prescribed with caution to those patients with a history of hypertension, and should not be given to patients with uncontrolled or poorly controlled hypertension.