Table 4.
Historic Adverse Consequences of Past Drug Treatments for Obesity. Since the 1800s, multiple therapies used to treat obesity have encountered unacceptable adverse side effects. Table lists historic discontinued anti-obesity therapeutics and their adverse health consequences [7,[123], [124], [125]]. None of these are currently indicated to treat obesity.
| Year | Drug | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| 1925 - present | Thyroid | Hyperthyroidism |
| 1933 - 1938 | Dinitrophenol | Cataracts/Neuropathy/Fatal hyperthermia |
| 1947 - 1979 | Amphetamine | Addiction |
| 1965 - 1968 | Aminorex | Pulmonary Hypertension |
| 1973 - 1997 | Fenfluramine/Dexfenfluramine | Valvulopathy |
| 1976 - 2000 | Phenylpropanolamine | Strokes |
| 1920 - 2004 | Ma Huang (ephedra) | Heart attacks/stroke |
| 2006 - 2007 | Ecopipam (Dopamine) | Depression/Suicide |
| 2006 - 2009 | Rimonabant (Selective cannabinoid-1 receptor antagonist): Never approved in the US | Depression/Suicide |
| 1997 - 2009 | Sibutramine | Cardiovascular disease risk |
| 2012 - 2020 | Lorcaserin | Cancer signal (e.g., lung and pancreas) |