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What is Meridia?

Meridia is a prescription medication used to treat obesity symptoms, weight loss, and weight maintenance. It affects chemicals in the brain that affect weight maintenance. Meridia can be taken alone or in combination with other drugs.

Meridia is related to a class of drugs called Schedule IV controlled substances. Due to the risk of severe cardiovascular problems in some people who take it, sibutramine or meridia is no longer available in the United States.

Doctors may recommend using Meridia-15mg together with diet and exercise to treat obesity that may be related to diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. You can easily order Meridia online from a trusted website if you have a prescription.

How to take Meridia?

Take Meridia as prescribed by your doctor. Do not take Meridia in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label. You can either buy Meridia online or at a local pharmacy store.

Take Meridia once a day. Follow your doctor’s advice. Your doctor may adjust your dosage from time to time to make sure that you get the best results.

Take Meridia with or without food.

During the first four weeks of taking Meridia and eating a low-calorie diet, you should lose at least four pounds. Contact your doctor if you have not lost at least 4 pounds after four weeks of taking medicine.

Your doctor may need to check your blood pressure and pulse often. Therefore, you should see your doctor regularly.

Do not use Meridia for more than two years.

Store away Meridia at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light. Do not give Meridia to anyone else. Keep the medication in a secure location where others cannot get to it.

What to know before taking Meridia?

Do not take Meridia if you have used an MAO inhibitor in the past 14 days. The MAO inhibitors include furazolidone (Furoxone), isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam), or tranylcypromine (Parnate). If you take Meridia before the MAO inhibitor has cleared from your system, you could have serious, life-threatening side effects.

Do not take Meridia if you are allergic to it, or if you have:

  • eating disorders such as bulimia or anorexia
  • severe or uncontrolled hypertension or high blood pressure
  • a history of heart attack or stroke
  • if you are taking stimulant diet pills
  • a history of coronary artery disease such as atherosclerosis
  • a history of heart disease such as congestive heart failure, heart rhythm disorder

You may need to change your dose of Meridia if you have any of these other conditions:

  • underactive thyroid
  • a bleeding or blood clotting disorder
  • glaucoma
  • high blood pressure
  • liver disease
  • kidney disease
  • depression
  • epilepsy or seizure disorder
  • a history of gallstones

Do not take Meridia if you are older than 65 or younger than 16.

It is unknown whether Meridia will harm an unborn child. However, if you are pregnant while taking Meridia, inform your doctor.

It is unknown whether sibutramine passes into breast milk or it could harm a nursing baby. However, if you are breastfeeding a baby, do not use Meridia without telling your doctor.

Meridia dosage

Meridia or sibutramine capsules are available in 5 mg, 10 mg, or 15 mg strengths.

Meridia 5 mg: These are blue or yellow capsules imprinted with “MERIDIA (sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate)” on the cap and “-5-” on the body. The bottle contains 30 capsules.

Meridia 10 mg: These are blue or white capsules imprinted with “MERIDIA (sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate) ” on the cap and “-10-” on the body. The bottle contains 30 capsules.

Meridia 15 mg: These are yellow or white capsules imprinted with “MERIDIA (sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate) ” on the cap and “-15-” on the body. The bottle contains 30 capsules.

10 mg is the recommended starting dose of Meridia, given once a day with or without food. If there is insufficient weight loss, the dose may be titrated after four weeks to a total of 15 mg once daily.

Do not take Meridia more than 15 mg daily.

What to avoid while using Meridia?

Meridia may affect your ability to think or react. Be cautious if you are driving or doing anything else that requires you to be alert. Without consulting your doctor, do not use any other prescription or over-the-counter weight-loss products.

Do not take cough, cold, or allergy drugs while taking Meridia.

Avoid consuming alcohol while taking Meridia.

What are the side effects of Meridia?

Less serious Meridia side effects may include:

  • changes in appetite
  • mild skin rash
  • dry mouth, upset stomach
  • redness, warmth, or feeling of tingling under your skin
  • constipation, stomach pain
  • symptoms of flu, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, cough
  • feeling nervous, dizzy, or depressed
  • trouble sleeping or insomnia
  • headache, back pain, joint pain

Get medical help if you have any signs of an allergic reaction to Meridia, including hives, difficulty breathing, and swelling of your face, tongue, throat, or lips. Stop using Meridia and contact your doctor right away if you have serious side effects such as:

  • easy bruising or bleeding (nosebleeds, bleeding gums, or any bleeding that will not stop)
  • dangerously high blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision, buzzing in your ears, anxiety, seizure)
  • pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, chest pain or heavy feeling, general ill feeling
  • sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body, problems with speech, vision, or balance
  • fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeats
  • new or worsening shortness of breath
  • hallucinations, agitation, fever, tremor, overactive reflexes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of coordination, dilated pupils
  • high fever, sweating, confusion, feeling lightheaded, very stiff or rigid muscles

How Meridia works?

Sibutramine or Meridia helps in weight loss by altering neurotransmitters within the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that nerves produce and release to communicate with other nerves.

Sibutramine inhibits the reuptake of the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Blocking neurotransmitter reuptake changes the balance of neurotransmitters within nerve cells, affecting nerve function and interaction.

What drugs can interact with Meridia?

Before taking Meridia, inform your doctor if you regularly take any other sleep medications such as sedatives, cold or allergy medicine, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression, or anxiety. They may contribute to the drowsiness caused by Meridia.

Before taking any decongestants, cough medications, or diet pills, ask your doctor.

Many drugs can interact with Meridia. Tell your doctor if you are using:

  • lithium such as Lithobid, Eskalith, and others
  • tryptophan or L-tryptophan
  • ketoconazole
  • an antibiotic such as erythromycin
  • antidepressants such as citalopram (Celexa), desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), duloxetine (Cymbalta), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem, Symbyax), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), venlafaxine (Effexor), and others
  • ergot medicine such as dihydroergotamine
  • migraine headache medicines such as sumatriptan (Imitrex) or zolmitriptan (Zomig)
  • narcotic pain medicines such as fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic, Fentora, Onsolis), meperidine (Demerol), pentazocine (Talwin)