Bontril Diet Pills Review

Posted By Paul on Dec 8, 2008 | 3 comments

Bontril diet pills belong to a class of weight loss drugs called appetite suppressants. Bontril diet pills are marketed as white bitter tablets or as capsules. The capsule form of Bontril has an extended release action — it resists rapid dissolution in the gut and continues to release the drug for a sustained period of time.

How does Bontril work?

The action of Bontril diet pills is very similar to that of amphetamines, which act upon the brain to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system. It is believed that the appetite suppression seen with this type of drug results from a combination of this central action and other unknown effects on metabolism. Because of its ability to surpress appetite, Bontril is known as an “anorexiant.”

Bontril may be prescibed by a physician if a patient has failed to make progress on a conventional diet and exercise program, and the cause of obesity has been determined to be exogenous (related to eating behavior) with no underlying hormonal or metabolic abnormality.

Bontril treatment guidelines:

Bontril diet pills are prescribed in 35 mg increments, distributed over 12 hours. The maximum permissible dose is 70 mg three times a day. The drug should be taken 1 or 2 hours prior to a meal. Late evening dosing should be avoided for fear of causing insomnia at night. The lowest possible amount of drug should be prescribed since this class of drug has a very narrow safety margin.

Therapy with Bontril diet pills should be re-evaluated at the end of 4 week period.If the patient has lost less than 2 kg/4.5 lbs., then Bontril may not be the ideal treatment — either the dose should be increased or a different drug should be used.

This drug should not be used beyond a 3 month period for two reasons…

One, the body develops tolerance to its appetite suppressing effects and would fail to respond even to increased doses. The other is the absence of clear documentation regarding effectiveness and safety of the drug beyond a 12 week period.

Contraindications:

• Bontril diet pills are not to be used in people…
• with known allergic reactions to this class of drugs (the sympathomimetics).
• suffering from advanced arteriosclerosis, heart disease, moderate to severe hypertension, thyroid abnormalities & glaucoma
• with a past history of drug dependence or abuse (as with all centrally acting stimulants, Bontril diet pills have a potential for abuse)
• who use drugs that act on the brain or the heart and blood vessels. Such combinations may can alter the magnitude of each individual drug’s response and can also aggravate the underlying disease.
• under 12 years of age.

Precautions:

As Bontril diet pills can elevate the blood pressure, caution is has to be exercised in prescribing for patients with even mild hypertension. It may also interfere with the action of other anti-hypertensive medications — Guanethidine is a good example.

In patients with diabetes, the insulin requirements and the concomitant dietary regimen may be altered in association with the use of the drug.

Bontril diet pills are not be taken by women who are, or may become pregnant. The exception to this? If the opinion of the physician is that the potential benefits outweight the possible hazards.

The body develops tolerance to the weight loss effects of Bontril diet pills within a few weeks. The recommended dosage should never be exceeded in an attempt to increase the effect. Instead, drug therapy needs to be stopped. Increasing the dose at this point will only broaden the spectrum of its side effects.

Abrupt cessation following high-dosage administration results in extreme fatigue and mental depression; changes are also noted on the sleep pattern. It is recommended therefore, that the dosage be “tapered off” over time.

Patients on this drug are to be cautioned against operating machinery or driving a motor vehicle.