Sibutramine

Also indexed as: Meridia®

Sibutramine is used for the management of obesity, including weight loss and maintenance of weight loss, and should be used in association with a reduced calorie diet.

Summary of Interactions with Vitamins, Herbs, and Foods
In some cases, an herb or supplement may appear in more than one category, which may seem contradictory. For clarification, read the full article for details about the summarized interactions.

Avoid Avoid: Adverse interaction—Avoid these supplements when taking this medication because taking them together may cause undesirable or dangerous results.

5-HTP

Alcohol

Ephedra

L-tryptophan
Depletion or interference

None known
Side effect reduction/prevention

None known
Supportive interaction

None known
Reduced drug absorption/bioavailability

None known

An asterisk (*) next to an item in the summary indicates that the interaction is supported only by weak, fragmentary, and/or contradictory scientific evidence.

Interaction with Dietary Supplements

L-Tryptophan and 5-HTP
The amino acids L-tryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) are occasionally used to treat mental depression. Taking sibutramine with L-tryptophan or 5-HTP might result in a rare, but serious group of symptoms known as “serotonin syndrome.”1 Symptoms associated with serotonin syndrome may include confusion, anxiety, muscle weakness, incoordination, and vomiting. Therefore, individuals taking sibutramine should avoid supplementing with L-tryptophan and 5-HTP.

Interaction with Herbs

Ephedra
One side effect of sibutramine is high blood pressure. Ephedra, an herb that until 2004 was used in cold remedies and herbal weight loss products, contains ephedrine, which can also increase blood pressure. Though no studies have investigated whether taking sibutramine together with ephedra might produce an adverse interaction, currently available evidence suggests that this combination should be used with caution.2

Interaction with Food and Other Compounds

Alcohol
Though one controlled study showed that drinking alcoholic beverages while taking sibutramine produced no clinically important interaction, it is nevertheless recommended that individuals taking the drug should avoid drinking alcohol.3

References

1. Sifton DW, et. Physicians’ Desk Reference. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc. 2000, 1509–13.

2. Sifton DW, et. Physicians’ Desk Reference. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc. 2000, 1509–13.

3. Sifton DW, et. Physicians’ Desk Reference. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc. 2000, 1509–13.