International journal of obesity : journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity
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Comparative Study
Comparison of combinations of drugs for treatment of obesity: body weight and echocardiographic status.
Obesity treatment with single drugs produces weight losses of about 8-10% of initial body weight. Few studies of combinations of drugs for treating obesity have been published. The combination of phentermine, an adrenergic agent, and fenfluramine, a serotonergic agent, (phen-fen) produced weight losses of about 15% of initial body weight. Fenfluramine is no longer available because it was associated with cardiac valve lesions. Phentermine-fluoxetine (phen-flu) has been proposed as an alternative for phen-fen. ⋯ The combination of phentermine and fluoxetine was not as effective as phen-fen, but was not associated with cardiac valve lesions. Longer term, larger scale studies of phen-flu are warranted.