Sibutramine is used in combination with a reduced calorie diet and exercise to help people who are overweight lose weight and maintain their weight loss. Sibutramine is in a class of medications called appetite suppressants. It works by acting on appetite control centers in the brain to decrease appetite.

Sibutramine (Meridia? in the USA, Reductil? in Europe) is an orally administered agent for the treatment of obesity. It is a centrally-acting stimulant chemically related to amphetamine, methamphetamine, and phentermine (one of the drugs in the Fen-Phen combination).

Sibutramine is a neurotransmitter reuptake inhibitor that helps control appetite by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin (by 73%), norepinephrine (by 54%), and dopamine (by 16%); as such it is an anorectic (i.e. it decreases appetite) although it also has antidepressant properties (due to its actions upon the aforementioned neurotransmitters). It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 1997 for the treatment of obesity.

Sibutramine acts by increasing serotonin and noradrenaline levels in the brain. The serotonergic action, in particular, is thought to influence appetite.

Before taking any prescription medicine, it is important that you consult your doctor!