1. What is Meridia diet pill?
Sibutramine, marketed under the name Meridia by Abbott Laboratories, is an oral prescription medication used to manage obesity. Meridia diet pill is the first orally administered serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor used to manage obesity.

2. What side effects of Meridia diet pill are associated to the weight loss pill?
Meridia diet pill is under review by the FDA after the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen filed a petition to the FDA for the immediate ban of Meridia diet pill. Public Citizen’s action followed the 29 reports of death and hundreds of other serious side effects that have occurred, mainly due to heart complications. Other Meridia diet pill side effects include, PPH (primary pulmonary hypertension), stroke, seizures, increased blood pressure, heart disease, increased heart rate, mental impairments, increased sweating, headaches, dry mouth, anorexia, constipation, and insomnia.

3. Why did the Public Citizen request Meridia diet pill be immediately banned?
Public Citizen is a consumer advocacy group that works to ban or re-label unsafe or ineffective drugs. The group finds that Meridia diet pills have more risk than benefits, calling Meridia “unacceptably dangerous”. Since 1996, Public Citizen has petitioned four other drugs that the group feels have the same characteristics of risk that Meridia diet pill has. Three of the petitioned drugs did end up being banned and the other one was put on the severely restricted list.

4. How is Meridia diet pill any different than Fen Phen and Redux, the previously banned weight loss pills?
Meridia diet pill differs from Fen Phen and Redux because it slows the body’s dissipation of the serotonin it naturally produces instead of fooling patients into feeling full by boosting production of serotonin. Meridia diet pill has been associated to instances of PPH (primary pulmonary hypertension), the same dangerous condition that resulted in the deaths of many Fen Phen and Redux users. Although the FDA said Meridia diet pill did not appear to pose the risk of heart valve damage as Fen Phen and Redux, the 29 deaths that have thus far been reported from Meridia diet pill use have been mainly attributed to heart complications.

5. Why has Meridia diet pill been controversial from the start?
Meridia diet pill was FDA approved despite the FDA’s own advisory board voting against its approval 5-4. The FDA said that it was only “moderately effective” at helping patients lose weight, and the FDA advised that anyone with poorly controlled hypertension, heart disease, or irregular heartbeat or who has survived a stroke should not use the drug. Public Citizen thinks Meridia diet pill was not studied for a long enough period of time to properly assess the serious side effects associated to the weight loss pill. In just one year, there were nearly 20 million patients in the U.S. that took at least one of the five drugs that were withdrawn. Drugs are studied only in selected populations for limited periods prior to approval.

6. What are my legal rights regarding Meridia diet pill?
There have been at least 29 deaths associated to Meridia diet pill. Less than 10% of all adverse drug reactions are estimated to be reported to the FDA’s Medwatch.

7. How do I report Meridia diet pill adverse effects?
The FDA’s MedWatch program has been created to report serious reactions and problems with drugs. Meridia diet pill has been associated to reports of heart complications that have resulted in death and serious injury. The importance of reporting any adverse complications experienced should not be underestimated. If the FDA does not receive reports of Meridia side effects the urgency to add necessary warnings or to issue a ban can be delayed, causing further death and serious injuries. It is encouraged to report to the FDA’s MedWatch by completing the online reporting form or by requesting a reporting form from your doctor.

8. How do I find a Meridia diet pill attorney?
If you are interested in learning more about your legal rights for the life threatening Meridia diet pill side effects that have resulted please contact us.