Ionamin Diet Pills Review

Posted By Paul on Dec 2, 2008 | 1 comment

Ionamin diet pills belong to a group of anti-obesity drugs that have been around for forty years now. These non-adrenergic stimulants were the first anti-obesity drugs to be approved by the FDA way back in 1959. Over the past forty years scores of clinical trials have provided well-defined guidelines and information on using Ionamin diet pills for weight loss.

How does Ionamin work?

Diet pills like Ionamin stimulate the sympathetic nervous system through the central nervous system or the brain. It is believed that the stimulation of the satiety centre and some unknown metabolic effects enable Ionamin diet pills to curb hunger and reduce food intake.

Ionamin is most appropriate where compulsive eating behavior is the cause of obesity or the obesity is exogenous (caused by external sources). Endogenous causes of obesity like endocrine abnormalities or enzyme defects in metabolism are not amenable to this therapy and therefore need to be ruled out prior to initiating treatment.

The effects of the drug are immediate and last for 12 to 14 hours. Information on Ionamin suggests that in comparison to a placebo, these diet pills produce weight loss in excess of 2-8 kgs over a period of 3 months. This only happens provided appropriate lifestyle, behavioral and nutritional modifications are in place. Given the safety profile of Ionamin diet pills, the smallest effective dose of the drug should be ascertained and used in each individual.

An important aspect of obesity treatment with Ionamin diet pills is the phenomenon of tolerance. After 2 to 3 months of therapy the drug slowly stops working as the body tends to return to normal metabolism. This effect is seen with all drugs belonging to this class.

It is important that at the end of 3 months the dose should not be increased in an attempt to achieve further weight loss. Higher doses will not facilitate greater effectiveness. Instead the extra drug may start acting at new receptors and tissues, broadening its spectrum of side effects.

The drug has no effect on the body weight during the drug maintenance phase. This is one of the disadvantages of the “anorexiants” class of drugs. The person has to solely depend on diet and activity modification to sustain the weight loss realized after 3 months of drug therapy.

There are well-defined indications for pharmacological treatment of obesity with Ionamine diet pills. An initial Body Mass Index of 30kg/m2 (or a BMI of 27 kg/m2 along with other risk factors like hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes or hyperlipidemia is required) is a pre-requisite to consider drug treatment for obesity. It is believed that the incidence of diseases at this level of BMI justifies the risk of pharmacological therapy to produce weight loss.

Note: Body Mass Index is calculated as so… BMI=weight(kg)/ [height(m)2. You can use this online BMI calculator to determine yours!

Treatment Guidelines:

Weight reduction should always start off with lifestyle, diet and behavioral modifications for a period of 6 months. If the average weight loss during this therapy has been less than 1 lb. /month in the absence of other complicating diseases, then a diet pill like Ionamin can be started (at the lowest dose possible and under medical supervision). The treatment goal of drug therapy is a weight loss of 5-10 % of the initial body weight over a period of 6-12 months.

After treatment begins, the individual is then closely monitored for side effects and weight loss for a period of 4 weeks, at which point treatment is re-evaluated.

If weight loss of more than 2 kgs/4.5 lbs. is recorded at this point, clinical trials and research information on Ionamine suggests that a full course of therapy will be useful. If the person does not achieve this target weight loss after a month on Ionamine diet pills, then further treatment with this drug is unlikely to provide any benefit and probably needs to be discontinued.

According to FDA recommendations, the drug should not be continued for durations longer than 3 months. There are no long term studies that document the effectiveness and safety of Ionamine diet pills beyond this duration.

The drug dose varies between 8mg to 37.5 mg depending on the individual response. The lowest effective dose is recommended. Ionamine is taken two hours after breakfast in the morning so that its stimulatory effects do not result in insomnia. The effect of a single dose lasts for about 12 to 14 hours.

Once a certain dose has been found to be effective, no alteration in drug dosing is recommended. The efficacy of the drug tapers off within 3 months at which time it should be gradually tapered off and then stopped. A hasty withdrawal of this central nervous system stimulant can throw the body off. Extreme fatigue, depression and changes in awake/sleep patterns can result from such an abrupt termination of therapy.

The drug is not recommended during pregnancy and breast feeding. It should also be avoided in children under 12 years old and in the elderly. Ionamine and other nor-adrenergic stimulant anorexiants interact with numerous medical conditions and drugs. There is a potential for permanent harm with inappropriate use of this drug and therefore, it should always been taken under the supervision and monitoring of a medical practitioner.

Ionamine diet pills and other drugs in this class are very similar to amphetamines and derive their abuse potential from the same properties. Use of these drugs, especially in individuals with a past history of drug abuse can lead to psychological dependence. Sleeplessness, irritablility and hyperactivity have all been attributed to Ionamin. Severe forms of psychosis, not different from schizophrenia, have been recorded after chronic abuse of high doses of Ionamine.