The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved lorcaserin hydrochloride as a weight-loss drug, according to MedPage Today.
The drug, to be sold as Belviq in the U.S., is an activator of the serotonin C2 receptor in the brain. This may reduce food consumption by producing early satiety at mealtime.
According to the FDA’s press release, “the most common side effects of Belviq in non-diabetic patients are headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, dry mouth, and constipation, and in diabetic patients are low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), headache, back pain, cough, and fatigue.”
I rarely prescribe weight-loss drugs for my patients. They’re expensive. They have side effects. They’re not very effective. And when you stop the drug, the fat returns.
Steve Parker, M.D.
Advanced Mediterranean Diet 