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Phentermine lowers weight, systolic BP in adults with obesity
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AUSTIN, Texas — Adults with obesity assigned to treatment with phentermine for 6 months experienced weight loss and decreases in diastolic and systolic blood pressure, but blood pressure did not change in those with diabetes, according to findings presented at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Annual Scientific and Clinical Congress.
Paresh Dandona, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and chief of endocrinology in the department of medicine at the University of Buffalo, and colleagues evaluated 97 patients with obesity (mean body weight, 110 kg), with or without diabetes, prescribed to phentermine at a dose between 30 mg and 37.5 mg daily for about 6 months to determine the effect of the therapy. Overall, 16 patients did not respond, leaving 81 responders.
Among responders, the overall decrease in body weight was a mean 6.4% (P < .001), the decrease in systolic BP was 3.4 mm Hg (P < .05) and there was a nonsignificant decrease in diastolic BP.
In 32 participants without diabetes, the mean weight loss was 10.4 kg (P < .001), mean systolic BP decreased by 6.2 mm Hg (P = .09), and there was a nonsignificant decrease in diastolic BP.
In participants without diabetes, mean weight loss was 4.1 kg in those with HbA1c more than 6.5%, 3.2 kg in those with HbA1c between 6% and 6.5%, and 7.4 kg in participants with HbA1c less than 6%. There were no significant changes in BP in participants with diabetes.
“In a real-life setting, the use of phentermine is associated with a significant weight loss and a fall in [systolic] BP without significant systemic side effects,” the researchers wrote. “The magnitude of fall is significantly lower in patients with diabetes. These results are important in considering the fear of side effects currently in the minds of physicians, on the one hand, and the expense of the novel anti-obesity drugs on the other.” – by Amber Cox
Reference:
Ahmed R, et al. Abstract #616. Presented at: AACE Annual Scientific and Clinical Congress; May 3-7, 2017; Austin, Texas.
Disclosure : Dandona reports various financial ties with AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi Aventis.