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Anorectic

 

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Anorectic


 
 

Anorectics, anorexigenics or appetite suppressants are substances that reduce the appetiteAppetite

The appetite is the desire to eat food, felt as hunger....
 and cause a person to eat less.

The word "anorectic" comes from the GreekFacts About Greek language

Greek has a documented history of 3,500 years, the longest of any single language within the Indo-European family....
 an- = "without" and orexi- = "appetite".

Currently marketed appetite suppressant drugs

Numerous pharmaceutical compounds are marketed as appetite suppressants.

The following drugs listed as "centrally acting antiobesity preparations" by ATCFacts About Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System

The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System is used for the classification of drugs....
:

  • PhenterminePhentermine

    Phentermine is a phenethylamine primarily used as an appetite suppressant....
     (Fastin, Adipex, Ionamin and others)
  • Diethylpropion (Tenuate)
  • SibutramineSibutramine

    Sibutramine, usually as sibutramide hydrochloride monohydrate, is an orally administered agent for the treatment of obesity....
     (Meridia, Reductil)
  • RimonabantRimonabant

    Rimonabant is an anorectic anti-obesity drug....
     (Acomplia)


The following are listed as appetite depressants by MeSHMesh

A mesh is similar to fabric or a web in that it has many connected or weaved pieces....
.
  • benfluorexBenfluorex Overview

    Benfluorex is an anorectic and hypolipidemic agent....
  • butenolideButenolide

    Butenolides are a class of lactones with a four-carbon heterocyclic ring structure....
  • diethylpropion
  • FG 7142FG 7142

    FG 7142 is an anorectic. It is also an a partial inverse agonist of the benzodiazepine receptor....
  • norpseudoephedrine
  • phenmetrazinePhenmetrazine Overview

    Phenmetrazine is an amphetamine-like drug....
  • phenterminePhentermine

    Phentermine is a phenethylamine primarily used as an appetite suppressant....
  • phenylpropanolaminePhenylpropanolamine

    | bgcolor="#ffffff" align="center" colspan="2" |...
  • pyroglutamyl-histidyl-glycineFacts About Pyroglutamyl-histidyl-glycine

    Pyroglutamyl-histidyl-glycine is an anorectic....
  • sibutramineSibutramine

    Sibutramine, usually as sibutramide hydrochloride monohydrate, is an orally administered agent for the treatment of obesity....



Other compounds marked as appetite suppressants include:
  • PhendimetrazinePhendimetrazine

    Phendimetrazine is a weight loss medication....
     (Prelu-2, Bontril)
  • BenzphetamineBenzphetamine

    Benzphetamine is an anti-obesity drug marketed under this brand in the USA by Pharmacia....
     (Didrex)
  • OxyntomodulinOxyntomodulin

    Oxyntomodulin is a naturally occurring 37 amino acid peptide hormone found in the colon, produced by the oxyntic cells of th...
  • MethylphenidateMethylphenidate

    Methylphenidate is an amphetamine-like prescription stimulant commonly used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorde...
     (Concerta) (Ritalin)
  • Phenylethylamine (Trimspa)

Public health concerns

EpidemicEpidemic Overview

In epidemiology, an epidemic is a disease that appears at a rate that substantially exceeds what is "expected" in a given p...
s of fatal pulmonary hypertensionPulmonary hypertension

In medicine, pulmonary hypertension is an increase in blood pressure in the pulmonary artery or lung vasculature....
 and heart valveHeart valve

In anatomy, the heart valves are valves in the heart that maintain the unidirectional flow of blood by opening and closing d...
 damage associated with pharmaceutical anorectic agents have led to the withdrawal of products from the market. This was the case with aminorexFacts About Aminorex

Aminorex is an anorectic stimulant drug of the 2-Amino-5-Aryloxazoline class....
 in the 1960s, and again in the 1990s with fenfluramineFenfluramine

Fenfluramine is a drug that was part of the Fen-Phen anti-obesity medication....
 (see: Fen-phenFen-phen

Fen-phen was an anti-obesity medication which consisted of two drugs: fenfluramine and phentermine....
). Likewise, association of the related appetite suppressant phenylpropanolaminePhenylpropanolamine

| bgcolor="#ffffff" align="center" colspan="2" |...
 with hemorrhagicBleeding

Bleeding is the loss of blood from the body....
 strokeStroke Overview

A stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident, is an acute neurologic injury in which the blood supply to a part of...
 led the Food and Drug AdministrationFood and Drug Administration

The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is responsib...
 (FDA) to request its withdrawal from the market in the United StatesUnited States Summary

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is...
 in 2000, and similar concerns regarding ephedrineEphedrine

Ephedrine is a sympathomimetic amine similar in structure to the synthetic derivatives amphetamine and methamphetamine....
 resulted in an FDA ban on its inclusion in dietary supplements, in 2004 (a Federal judge later overturned this ban in 2005 during a challenge by supplement maker Nutraceuticals.). It is also debatable as to whether the ephedrine ban had more to do with its use as a precursorPrecursor (chemistry)

In chemistry a precursor is a compound that participates in the chemical reaction that produces another compound....
 in methamphetamineMethamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant drug used primarily for recreational purposes, but is sometimes prescribed for ADHD ...
 manufacture rather than legitimate health concerns.

History and initial uses

Used on a short term basis clinically to treat obesityObesity

Obesity is a condition in which the natural energy reserve, stored in the fatty tissue of humans and mammals, is increased t...
, some appetite suppressants are also available over the counterOver-the-counter drug

Over-the-counter drugs are medicines that may be sold without a prescription and without a visit to a medical professional, ...
. DrugsMedication Summary

A medication is a licenced drug taken to cure or reduce symptoms of an illness or medical condition....
 of this class are frequently stimulantStimulant

A stimulant is a drug that increases the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and produces a sense of euphoria or the ...
s of the phenethylaminePhenethylamine Overview

h colspan="2" align=center bgcolor="#cccccc">Phenethylamine...
 family, related to amphetamineAmphetamine

Amphetamine , also known as speed, is a synthetic stimulant used to suppress the appetite, control weight, and treat d...
 (speed).

The GermanGermany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in central Europe....
 military experimented with issuing amphetamines to soldiers in 1945, when food supplies were very short in Germany. Following the Second World War, amphetamines were re-directed for use on the civilian market. Indeed, amphetamine itself was sold commercially as an appetite suppressant until it was outlawed in most parts of the world in the late 1950s due to increased recreational use. Many amphetamineAmphetamine

Amphetamine , also known as speed, is a synthetic stimulant used to suppress the appetite, control weight, and treat d...
s produce side effects including addictionAddiction

Addiction is a chronic disorder proposed to be precipitated by a combination of genetic, biological/pharmacological and soci...
, tachycardiaTachycardia

Tachycardia is an abnormally rapid beating of the heart, defined as a resting heart rate of 100 or more beats per minute in ...
 and hypertensionHypertension

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a medical condition where the blood pressure is chronically elevated....
, making prolonged unsupervised use dangerous.

Many people who obtain these drugs are more interested in the amphetamine-like stimulant effects than weight loss. In those cases, it is important to make sure to keep forcing oneself to eat even when it is undesirable.

See also

  • AmphetamineAmphetamine

    Amphetamine , also known as speed, is a synthetic stimulant used to suppress the appetite, control weight, and treat d...
  • KhatKhat

    Khat , pronounced "cot" and also known as qat, gat, chat, and miraa, is a flowering plant native to ...
  • AminorexAminorex

    Aminorex is an anorectic stimulant drug of the 2-Amino-5-Aryloxazoline class....
  • AppetiteAppetite

    The appetite is the desire to eat food, felt as hunger....
  • CocaineFacts About Cocaine

    Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant....
  • EphedrineEphedrine Summary

    Ephedrine is a sympathomimetic amine similar in structure to the synthetic derivatives amphetamine and methamphetamine....
  • Fen-phenFen-phen

    Fen-phen was an anti-obesity medication which consisted of two drugs: fenfluramine and phentermine....
  • HungerHunger

    Hunger is a feeling experienced by animals when the glycogen level of the liver falls below a certain point, usually followe...
  • ObesityObesity

    Obesity is a condition in which the natural energy reserve, stored in the fatty tissue of humans and mammals, is increased t...
  • PhenethylaminePhenethylamine

    h colspan="2" align=center bgcolor="#cccccc">Phenethylamine...
  • StimulantStimulant

    A stimulant is a drug that increases the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and produces a sense of euphoria or the ...


External links

  • from the Medical College of WisconsinMedical College of Wisconsin

    Medical College of Wisconsin is a medical school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States....