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to consider alternative therapies such as all-natural fen-phen-like products. |
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Approximately 18 million Americans (including athletes trying to tone up by losing a few pounds) were taking the prescription-only fen-phen to lose weight. Both fenfluramine and phentermine were independently approved by the FDA. However, the original application for each was for short-term use by severely obese individuals. The combination of the two drugs, however, was never approved. In essence, every time someone used fen-phen, they turned their body into a human chemistry set. The results were fatal for some users. There are lawsuits filed against one of the manufacturers, by the families of people who died, allegedly using fen-phen. |
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According to reports from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, a number of women taking fen-phen had developed serious heart valve problems. In addition, several of these patients also developed a condition in which the arteries which supply blood to the lungs were constricted. What is alarming is that all of these women were healthy prior to taking prescription fen-phen. Symptoms of this disorder include the following: shortness of breath, fatigue and swollen ankles and/ or abdomen. |
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This danger was reconfirmed in a study which appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. According to the lead author, Dr. Una McCann of the National Institutes of Health, the use of fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine increased the risk of primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) by 20 times. PPH is a condition which increases the risk of high blood pressure in the artery that brings blood to the lungs. In Dr. McCann's words, ''PPH is deadly. Not all people die, but a number of them do, most within 2 1/2 years." |
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Now the government has finally cracked down on this deadly prescription drug. Until the FDA selects the proper course of action, no new prescriptions of fen-phen can be filled out. |
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Luckily there's a safer, natural solution to losing weight without a prescription. It's a combination of herbal products designed to mimic the effects of prescription fen-phen. According to Dr. Joseph DeBartolomeo of Nutri Systems, the herbal duo of St. John's-wort, ma huang and possibly other |
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