 Reductil or Meridia should only be taken if you are clinically obese – with a body mass index of 30 or more. You can check this here: BMI Checking Tool. If your BMI is less than this, then it’s not for you – unless you are currently on the treatment and taking it as part of a course to bring your BMI within the target range.
This is a very successful and effective treatment to lose weight and it’s been proven for over 10 years now. You take one capsule a day and you will start seeing some weight falling off after about a month. If you have been taking it and haven’t seen any change over a period of time longer than a month, you should contact your doctor who may take you off; after all, everybody is different in terms of how they react with a drug.
Do not try this treatment if you have any of the following:
- Mild to moderately decreased kidney function
- Mild to moderately decreased liver function
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Epilepsy
- Open angle glaucoma
- Family history of glaucoma
- Family history of involuntary, recurrent muscle twitches or vocalizations (motor or verbal tics)
- History of depression
- People at increased risk of bleeding
- People taking medicine to prevent blood clotting (anticoagulants, e.g. warfarin)
- Syndrome involving short spells when breathing stops during sleep (sleep apnea syndrome).
Also, if the following applies to you – don’t take this medication:
- People over 65 years of age
- Children and adolescents under 18 years of age
- Obesity caused by a medical condition
- Severely decreased kidney function
- Severely decreased liver function
- Uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension)
- History of coronary artery disease
- History of heart failure
- History of increased heart rate (tachycardia)
- History of irregular heart beats (arrhythmias)
- History of stroke or small temporary strokes (transient ischaemic attacks)
- History of blocked arteries in the extremities (peripheral arterial occlusive disease)
- Closed angle glaucoma
- Overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism)
- Tumour of the adrenal gland (phaeochromocytoma)
- Urinary retention caused by an enlarged prostate gland (benign prostatic hyperplasia)
- Psychiatric illness
- Syndrome characterised by involuntary repetition of speech, particularly obscene or vulgar words (Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome)
- History of anorexia nervosa
- History of bulimia nervosa
- History of drug, alcohol or medication dependence or abuse
- People who have taken antidepressant, antipsychotic or appetite suppressant medicines, or tryptophan to aid sleep, in the last 14 days
- Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding
- Rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, Lapp lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption (Reductil capsules contain lactose).
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