The combination of phentermine plus fenfluramine was all the rage from late-1994 until July 1997 when the Mayo Clinic announced heart valve problems in patients taking fenfluramine (Pondamin) or dexfenfluramine (Redux), and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed it from the market.

Fen-Phen, as it was called, was said to be more effective than either drug alone.

However, a 1984 study showed that phentermine alone caused more weight loss than the combination of the two drugs:

• 22 lbs weight loss with phentermine alone


• 18.5 lbs weight loss with phentermine plus fenfluramine (Fen-Phen)


• 16.5 lbs with fenfluramine alone


• 9.7 lbs in those given a placebo.

( Thank you to Michael Anchors, MD, PhD for pointing this study out to me. ) Read the entire article | Email this article

Phen-Pro, the combination of phentermine plus Prozac (fluoxetine), caused a similar amount of weight loss as Phen-Fen, the combination of phentermine plus fenfluramine, but the dropout rate was twice as high according to a study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Read the entire article | Email this article

One-third of people using prescription diet pills were not obese before taking the pills according to a study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read the entire article | Email this article

"A huge number" of people asking to share in the $3.75 billion trust fund for people who took fen-phen may not have suffered heart valve damage according to an attorney for the trust. Read the entire article | Email this article