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Meridia Diet Pill: What do I
need to know?
 You should always make it a
point of keeping follow-up appointments with your physician while taking this
weight loss medication. The Meridia diet pill can increase your blood pressure,
making it important to have your blood pressure and pulse monitored at the
beginning of therapy and regularly thereafter.
When
should the Meridia diet pill not be prescribed?
If you have an allergic
reaction while taking the Meridia diet pill, you will probably not be able to
use it. You should also avoid this weight loss medicine if you suffer from a
compulsive dieting disorder such as anorexia nervosa. You should not combine
the Meridia diet pill with other drugs used to suppress appetite, and you should
not take it within two weeks of taking any drug classified as a MAO inhibitor,
such as the antidepressant medications Marplan, Nardil, and Parnate.
Special
warnings about this weight loss drug:
You should use the Meridia
diet pill with caution if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure or are
predisposed to bleed, as this medication could make the situation worse. You
should also avoid Meridia completely if you’ve ever had a stroke or suffer from
heart disease, heart failure, or irregular heartbeat. Also, avoid this
medication if you have severe kidney or liver problems, as this drug has not
been tested under these conditions. Under some rare occasions, seizures have
been reported and are a possible side effect. If you have ever had seizures in
the past, you should use Meridia with caution. If you have seizures while
taking this medication, you should stop using it immediately and call your
doctor.
Any medication that works on
the nervous system can impair judgment, thinking, and also motor skills. While
this weight loss medication does not seem to have this effect, caution is highly
recommended until you know how this drug affects you.
If you have narrow-angle
glaucoma or thyroid problems, make sure your doctor knows, as the Meridia diet
pill will need to be used with caution in these circumstances. If you are prone
to gallstones, you should also be cautious because more of them may form in the
future. Also, Meridia has not been tested in people under the age of 16 years
old, and should be used with caution in those over 65. While it is not
classified as a controlled substance, the possibility of developing physical and
psychological dependence is low while taking the Meridia diet pill.
Information
from The PDR Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs
Additional Information and
webpage
by
Paul Susic
MA
Licensed Psychologist Ph.D. Candidate
(Health and Geriatric Psychologist)
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