Word: weightness
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...neurons that produce serotonin swell, then wither, then die, according to Johns Hopkins neurologist Dr. Mark Molliver. Eventually some of the cells regenerate, but they are often malformed. Moreover, the overdose doesn't have to be huge. All Molliver had to do was double the dosage required for weight loss. In humans, such an overdose could presumably happen if a patient simply took two pills by accident instead...
...arrival of Olestra last winter, despite NutraSweet and 1% milk, despite an estimated $33 billion spent every year on diet books, over-the-counter medications, health-club memberships and low-calorie foods, the flab still remains, entrenched solidly on waists, hips and thighs. News of a truly effective weight-loss drug will have people beating down doctors' doors, despite the worrisome side effects...
This marks a striking change in attitude. The idea of using drugs to treat excess weight was anathema 20 years ago, when M.I.T. neurologist Dr. Richard Wurtman first learned about the compound fenfluramine. At the time, the term diet pill was synonymous with amphetamines, and conjured up an image of sleazy feel-good doctors getting patients hooked on speed. Pharmaceutical companies wanted nothing to do with the weight-loss business...
...Wurtmans were right, then a chemical that could generate a similar serotonin jolt might be highly effective for weight control. Wurtman began combing the medical literature for such a substance and discovered that the French pharmaceutical company Servier had discovered one called fenfluramine. "We tested it," he says, "and we found that it worked in selectively suppressing carbohydrate overeating...
...still got drowsy, and others suffered from depression, loss of sexual appetite, headaches, diarrhea and dry mouth. The same serious medical problems now being ascribed to Redux--pulmonary hypertension and possible brain damage--began showing up as well. Moreover, fen/phen worked for only so long. Patients usually stopped losing weight after a few months and began to regain it once they stopped taking the drugs...