If you talk with your doctor and he or she deems it necessary to prescribe you a weight loss drug, it will more than likely be sibutramine or orlistat. Lets take a quick look at both drugs to give you an idea of how they work and what to expect.

Sibutramine is manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, under brand name the brand name Meridia in the US. Sibutramine is an appetite suppressant that in one study showed in combination with lifestyle changes, a weight loss of 26.6 lbs compared to the drug (11 lbs) or lifestyle changes (14.8 lbs) alone.

Closely monitor your health and be on the look out for side effects if you are prescribed sibutramine. Recently the FDA noted concerns that sibutramine increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes in patients with a history of cardiovascular disease. So if your family has a history of heart problems, you may want to ask your doctor about orlistat.

Orlistat which is commonly known by the brand name Xenical which is produced by Roche or over-the-counter as Alli by GlaxoSmithKline works by preventing the absorption of fats from your diet, which in turn reduces your caloric intake. Like other prescription weight loss aids, it is meant to be used in conjunction with a good diet and exercise.

According to data from the clinical trials, people given orlistat in addition to lifestyle modifications, lose about 4.4–6.6 lb more than those not taking the drug over the course of a year. Orlistat also modestly reduces blood pressure, and appears to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes, whether due to weight loss itself or to other effects. And although its results are not staggering, it has less harsh side effects.

Although the side effects of orlistat are not as harsh as sibutramine and the drug has shown to be safe for long term use, they are somewhat more embarrassing. Orlistat is notorious for its gastrointestinal side effects like oily, loose stools. The good news is the oily loose stools have shown to decrease over time.

Both prescription medications have been shown and proven to aid weight loss, and may be something you should ask your doctor about if you are having trouble getting back to your healthy weight. If you already have a prescription for one of these weight loss drugs, buy it here safely, for much less.

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We’re nearing the end of the year, and many people are already in open enrollment for next year’s health coverage, which means it is a great time to plan ahead for your 2010 drug expenditures. No, you can’t know every medication you are going to need, but if you are on a popular, patented maintenance drug such as Lipitor or Cozaar, you’ll be pleased to hear that their patents are expiring in 2010, opening the field for more-affordable U.S. generic versions.

In the meantime, as you do your research, you will see that many are already available as generics, manufactured outside of the U.S. There is usually a considerable cost savings.

Here are all the details of some of the highest-profile drugs that have expiring patents as of the end of 2009, or during 2010 — and how and where to get the generic versions.

ARICEPT (donepezil). Pfizer makes the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor Aricept for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Aricept is scheduled to lose patent protection in the U.S. in 2010, but generic versions are already available.

COZAAR (losartan). Merck’s Cozaar is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, used to treat hypertension. Cozaar’s patent protection in the U.S. will expire in 2010. In the meantime, generic losartan is available here.

LEVAQUIN (levofloxacin). Johnson & Johnson’s antibiotic drug Levaquin will outlive its patent protection in 2010. However, until that time, you can purchase generic levofloxacin here.

LIPITOR (atorvastatin). Pfizer has the best-selling drug in the world in Lipitor, which treats high cholesterol. In the US, the basic patent for Lipitor expires in March 2010, while the second patent covering the calcium salt of atorvastatin expires in June 2011. It is not yet clear exactly which date will see widespread availability of generic Lipitor in the U.S., but it is coming. In the meantime, generic atorvastatin is available here.

XENICAL (orlistat). Roche’s Xenical is an obesity treatment that prevents the digestive system from absorbing fats. Its patent expires in December of this year.  (Note: In some countries, including the U.S., orlistat is available over-the-counter as GlaxoSmithKline’s Alli.)

VALTREX (valacyclovir). GlaxoSmithKline’s Valtrex is a treatment for herpes simplex and herpes zoster (shingles). Valacyclovir was recently approved for generic production, and so generic versions will be on the U.S. market by the end of 2009. As of this writing, generic valacyclovir is available here.

If you’re interested in the business ramifications for the pharmaceutical companies, CNN ran a good article on the topic, and so did Chemistry World.

Enjoy using EDrugSearch.com to knowledgeably plan your medication choices for the coming year.

According to this new study

And this just in: oily pants bottoms linked to Alli.

What’s interesting to me is that Alli’s embarrassing side effects have done little to dissuade potential users from buying the product.

Glaxo says to expect “gas with oily spotting” and “more frequent stools that may be hard to control.” Glaxo also says that it is just “the excess fat that passes out of your body and is not harmful. In fact, you may recognize it as something that looks like the oil on top of a pizza.”

TMI, dudes.

Then there’s this helpful tip from the drug’s official Web site:

“It’s probably a smart idea to wear dark pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work.”

A commenter on the Wired Science blog provided his own characterization:

Lemme tell ya what! I tried this product when it was a prescription, Xenical…yeah… after a dash into a public bathroom, having to throw away my underwear, and then a dash home – that cured me of taking it again! “Oily discharge” is an understatement; I guess if you could call what happened to the Exxon Valdez an “oily discharge” then you would be on target! I will be curious to see how many people buy this a second time……