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News analysis: Dying to be thin By
Karen Funk Some people see the fen-phen settlement as being an easy way to get rich. Others simply want to be compensated somehow for the money they've spent going in and out of hospitals and for the health problems they've had to deal with because of this so-called "wonder diet drug." Jane, who has asked that her real name not be used, belongs to the second group. "If I just get back what I paid for the drug, I'd be thrilled," she said. Fen-phen is a catchy name for a combination of fenfluramine, better known as pondimin, an appetite suppressant, and phentermine, a mild stimulant. When combined, the two produce a powerful diet drug. This drug, however, has been proven to cause serious heart valve damage, and in extreme cases can even be fatal. It is estimated that 4 million people in the United States took fen-phen between January 1995 and September 1997. With some 18 million prescriptions being written in 1996 alone, fen-phen has been a big business for both doctors and drug companies, said Dr. Gerson H. Smoger. Jane took fen-phen for six months in 1996 after her doctor insisted that she take it to help her lose weight. "I was really scared of it at first," Jane said. "I was insecure about taking drugs for weight control." She finally stopped taking the drug when she stopped losing the weight. She had gone from weighing 311 pounds to 259 pounds in six months, and her doctor told her she would probably not lose anymore. No matter how long one is on fen-phen, they will only lose about 30 to 40 percent of their body weight, Jane said. "I was glad to get off of them, " she said. " All they did was make me anxious and nervous." She started noticing symptoms within a year of being off the drug. Early signs and symptoms associated with fen-phen include shortness of breath, fatigue and swollen ankles, Smoger said. Jane faced all three. "I was always exhausted," she said. "For about a year I hardly left the house. I'd go to Logan and have to stop and take a nap before driving back home." After she stopped taking the drug, she gained weight so rapidly that she just figured the symptoms were from that. It was only when she went to the hospital for pneumonia that her doctor diagnosed her as having heart leakage. She had an echocardiogram before ever taking fen-phen and didn't have any leakage, so she knew it was the drug that caused it. When pondimin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it was recommended for short term use only, Smoger explained. Short term was considered a few weeks. However, Jane was originally told by her doctor that she would have to take it for the rest of her life. "He told me it was absolutely safe," she said. "He also said there were no side effects." Even after she was diagnosed as having heart problems, her doctor said, "Everyone over 30-years-old has some amount of heart leakage." "My doctor played it down so much that I wasn't really worried about it," Jane said. "I'm more frightened now. Just about the things that could go wrong. I'll never take a drug like that again. It's not worth it just to lose 50 pounds." Those people who defend the drug say that it's side effects aren't any worse than those of obesity. "Obesity itself may increase the risk of hypertension, coronary artery disease, type II diabetes, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and gout, as well as some forms of cancer," Smoger said. "But prescriptions were not limited to obese people. Drugs were routinely prescribed to individuals who just wanted to lose a few pounds." "This massive marketing and sales campaign extended the use of these drugs far beyond what was recommended and ignored clear danger signs," Smoger said. "I think it hit the market too fast without proper testing," Jane said. "I feel that the doctors were lied to in the same way that the people were.The pharmaceutical companies just wanted to get it out on the market, and they weren't totally honest with anyone." Jane began the Weight Watchers program in November and has lost 55 pounds. This weight loss has reduced some of her symptoms associated with fen-phen, but her heart leakage still seems to be increasing. "There is no easy way to lose weight," Jane said. "I've lost more on weight watchers than I did just taking fen-phen pills everyday, and I feel a lot better about it." The United States Department of Health and Human Services announced that everyone who took fen-phen should see a physician to determine if they show any signs of heart or lung disease. The Food and Drug Administration along with the National Institutes of Health also recommend that if anyone is experiencing signs of heart or lung disease, even if they never took fen-phen, they should have an echocardiogram done. Anyone who believes that they were injured as a result of taking fen-phen, or who even just used the drugs for a short period of time could be affected by a Class Action settlement. This settlement gives all users of these diet drugs, whether they were injured by them or not, the right to receive money, medical testing services and other benefits.
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