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Patients and doctors alike are somewhat unsure what to do about the diet drugs now under scrutiny, said Dr. Matthew P. Datzman of Warsaw.
Datzman, who specializes in weight loss, said today that fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine, while not commonly prescribed appetite suppressants, are becoming more and more common "because they work."
Doctors agree that patients who take the drugs should contact their physicians and stop taking the medicines, especially since the manufacturer has withdrawn them from the market.
However, he said, the public should remember that patients who are taking the drugs still face weight problems.
"What most people are losing sight of is what's their risk if they stay overweight?" he said, citing the fact that more than 300,000 deaths last year were related to obesity.
He also emphasized the fact that the findings linking fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine were based on a doctor's association of heart disease with women who had been taking the drugs.
"So basically it was an association as opposed to a scientific study," he said.
The manufacturer, Servier, already has agreed to do a controlled study of the drugs in conjunction with the Mayo Clinic, where the original findings were reported.
Datzman said most medicines have potential side effects. Dexfenfluramine and fenfluramine also can cause depression if abruptly stopped.
The best advice, he said, is to get medical guidance.
"People should check with their doctor," he said. "There are a lot of misconceptions and it's not always that clear on TV what is going on."
