Meridia Side Effects

• headache
• heartburn
• changes in appetite
• constipation
• weakness
• dry mouth
• runny nose
• nervousness
• back pain
• difficulty with sleep
• flushing
• flu-like symptoms
• painful menstrual periods in women

• fast or pounding heartbeat
• chest pain
• shortness of breath
• nausea
• stomach pain
• vomiting
• extreme excitement
• restlessness
• anxiety
• depression
• dizziness
• lightheadedness
• fainting
• confusion
• uncoordinated or abnormal movement
• muscle stiffness
• shaking hands that you cannot control
• seizures
• shivering
• excessive sweating
• fever
• sore throat
• large pupils (black area in center of eyes)
• change in vision
• eye pain
• hives
• skin rash
• itching
• difficulty speaking, breathing, or swallowing
• hoarseness
• swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
• unusual bleeding or bruising

Warnings & Recalls for Meridia

• tell your doctor if you are taking monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, including isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), and tranylcypromine (Parnate), or have stopped taking them within the past 2 weeks. Your doctor may tell you not to take Meridia. Do not start taking these drugs for at least 2 weeks after you stop taking Meridia.
• tell your doctor if you are taking other prescription or nonprescription medications, herbal products or nutritional supplements to help you lose weight such as benzphetamine (Didrex), methamphetamine (Desoxyn), phendimetrazine (Adipost, Bontril, others), and phentermine (Adipex-P, Phentride, others). Your doctor may tell you not to take Meridia.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking. Be sure to mention any of the following: amiodarone (Cordarone); anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin); antifungals such as fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), and ketoconazole (Nizoral); caffeine-containing products including NoDoz, and Vivarin; cancer chemotherapy medications; clarithromycin (Biaxin, Prevpac); clopidogrel (Plavix); cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune); danazol (Danocrine); delavirdine (Rescriptor); diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor, Tiazac); erythromycin (E.E.S., E-Mycin, Erythrocin); fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic); gold salts such as auranofin (Ridaura) and aurothioglucose (Solganal); heparin; HIV protease inhibitors such as indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), ritonavir (Norvir), and saquinavir (Fortovase, Invirase); isoniazid (INH, Nydrazid); lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid); medications for allergies, coughs, and colds; medications for depression; medications for high blood pressure; medications for migraine headaches such as almotriptan (Axert), dihydroergotamine mesylate (Migranal), eletriptan (Relpax), ergoloid mesylates (Gerimal, Hydergine), ergonovine (Ergotrate, Methergine), ergotamine (Bellamine, Cafergot, others), frovatriptan (Frova), methysergide (Sansert), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex), and zolmitriptan (Zomig); medications for nausea such as alosetron (Lotronex), dolasetron (Anzemet), granisetron (Kytril), ondansetron (Zofran) and palonosetron (Aloxi); medications for anxiety, mental illness, seizures, and pain; meperidine (Demerol, Mepergan); metronidazole (Flagyl); muscle relaxants; pentazocine (Talcen, Talwin); quinine; quinidine (Quinidex); salicylate pain relievers such as aspirin, choline magnesium trisalicylate, choline salicylate (Arthropan), diflunisal (Dolobid), magnesium salicylate (Doan's, others), and salsalate (Argesic, Disalcid, Salgesic); sedatives; sleeping pills; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem, in Symbyax), fluvoxamine, paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft); selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as duloxetine (Cymbalta) and venlafaxine (Effexor); sulfa antibiotics such as sulfadiazine, sulfamethizole (Urobiotic), sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim (Bactrim, Septra), sulfasalazine (Azulfidine), and sulfisoxazole (Gantrisin, Pediazole); ticlopidine (Ticlid); tranquilizers; troleandomycin (TAO); tryptophan; verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan); or zafirlukast (Accolate). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
• tell your doctor if you have or ever had an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa (abnormal focus on being thin that causes you to eat very little and exercise excessively) or bulimia nervosa (eating large amounts of food and then removing the food from the body using diuretics (water pills), laxatives, or vomiting), angina (chest pain), congestive heart failure (heart is unable to pump blood well enough), a heart attack, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, peripheral arterial disease (PAD; narrowing of the blood vessels outside of your heart), or a stroke or ministroke. Your doctor will probably tell you not to take Meridia.
• tell your doctor if you have or have ever had cancer; depression; gallstones (clumps of hardened material that can block the passages from the liver to intestine); glaucoma (an eye disease); hemophilia or other bleeding problems; migraine headaches; osteoporosis (thinning and weakening of the bones); Parkinson's disease (a disorder of the nervous system that causes difficulties with movement, muscle control, and balance); seizures; pulmonary hypertension (high pressure in the vessel that moves blood from the heart to the lungs); or kidney, liver, or thyroid disease. Also tell your doctor if you have ever used street drugs or overused prescription medications.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant or are breast-feeding. You should use effective birth control to be sure you do not become pregnant while you are taking sibutramine. Ask your doctor if you need help choosing a method of birth control.
• talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking this medication if you are 65 years of age or older. Older adults should not usually take Meridia.
• if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking Meridia.
• you should know that Meridia may make you drowsy and may affect your judgment, your ability to think, and your coordination. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you.
• remember that alcohol can add to the drowsiness caused by this medication. Ask your doctor about the safe use of alcoholic beverages while you are taking Meridia.
• ask your doctor about drinking coffee, tea, or caffeinated beverages while taking Meridia. Caffeine may make the side effects from Meridia worse.

Meridia Treatment and Use

Meridia | Sibutramine is a drug that has been discontinued in the US market due to a FDA recall.  Meridia was to be used in combination with a reduced calorie diet along with exercise to help people who are overweight.  Its drug classification is that of a centrally-acting serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor which is structurally related to amphetamines, which makes it very habit forming.  Meridia was marketed by Abbott Laboratories in the US before its withdrawal from the market in 2010.

Other Names for Meridia

Lawsuits & Legal Information for Meridia