For a while, fen-phen was the talk
of the weight-loss world
January 29, 2005
For a while in the mid-1990s, overweight Americans
seemed to be going crazy over fen-phen.
Fen-phen, actually a combination of the drugs fenfluramine
and phentermine, exploded into national popularity with
a promise of quick and effective weight loss. One drug
suppressed appetite, the other prevented drowsiness,
and the pounds melted away.
People began rushing to buy fen-phen, particularly
in Kentucky where relatively liberal prescription rules
made the drug combination easy to get. New weight-loss
clinics prescribing fen-phen began appearing almost
overnight. Four opened in Lexington within a few months
along a short stretch of Richmond Road.
Weight-conscious residents from surrounding states,
where fen-phen was unavailable, flocked to Kentucky
to stock up on the drugs. Even stars from the Grand
Ole Opry became regular Kentucky fen-phen customers.
Health experts warned from the beginning that fen-phen
was only for the seriously obese, not those who only
wanted to lose a few pounds. But everybody wanted the
drug cocktail.
All that came to a crashing halt when scientific evidence
surfaced showing that fen-phen caused serious heart-valve
damage in some patients. The FDA pulled the drug combo
off the market in 1997.
Shortly afterward, lawyers around the country began
lining up former fen-phen users for clas-action suits
against American Home Products, the maker of fen-phen.
Source:www.kentucky.com
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