Betahistine: Weight Loss Super-Pill?
New trials are underway for a drug called Betahistine. A recent pilot study of 20 volunteers showed a weight loss of almost 4lbs per week for three months. That's as much as a 16 pound (~7kg) loss in a month.
The drug has apparently been around for some years - and is used as a treatment for vertigo.
The drug works on a part of brain known as a histamine receptor, sending signals to the stomach, telling it to take in less food. It also seems to create a dislike of fatty foods. (Telegraph)
The new research will include double-blinded, placebo-controlled dose-ranging study in about 280 subjects over a period of three months (across the U.S) - via PharmaLive.
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I have no confidence in the persistence of science to treat symptoms of a disease without addressing the actual problem.
ReplyYes, treat the actual problem first. Patients should get new parents so they won't have any genetic predispositions to weight gain.
ReplyIs this in extremely large doses or normal doses already used for the treatment of munieres' disease?
ReplyWow, are you sure you are not a doctor of Chinese medicine, Dr. J? Cause I've only ever met a handful of doctors who think like that. They prefer to diagnose/create a bunch of new diseases, like "fybromialgia", instead of treating the hormonal causes for the body pain. When a person is overweight and their health is suffering, instead of treating that, they usually give them a bunch of meds for high cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure...
Reply:-) I've always been an alternative thinker, Jan. I went into allopathic medicine because that's where I felt I could do the most good and have the greatest effect. When I started Medical School I was told by a Department Chairman once that "they would teach me to think like a doctor." HaHaHa.."never happened!" Hey, it's our differences that make us special!
ReplyWhere can you get this!!??
ReplyI am a Doctor of Oriental Medicine in South Miami Fl. I am a believeer in integrative medicine - that is - using the best of both worlds to potentiate the healing process and decrease pain and suffering. In addition to chinese herbal formulas, I have integrated vitamin b12 with methione, inositol, and choline to my weight loss program. I have one healthy patient that is currently taking the betahistamine and doing very well on it (she has lost 7 lbs). Im monitoring her closely for any ill side-effects. I have started her on 8mg bid. Will continue to post on progress.
Dr. G. Moreira
ReplyThey tease with these diet pills which are not yet available, lol
Reply
ReplyI'm not against giving them the pills, but I think they do a disservice when they tell people like my 22-year-old friend, who is also quite overweight, that her cholesterol/blood pressure/triglyceride problems are caused by genetics since both her parents suffer from them. Why not mention that if she lost even 10% of her weight, she'd see an improvement there? She is willing to make a change by not eating salt and saturated fat (they didn't mention sugar/refined carb and how it affects triglycerides, or trans-fats), so I'm guessing she'd be willing to eat fewer calories as well, if that had been suggested. Another thing is she does not exercise because she suffers from pain in her sciatic nerve. Giving her something for that and telling her to move would probably do more for her health than all the pills they gave her.
Great, Jan! You tell her. Let's see how she does. Keep us informed. Thanks!!
Replyhttp://www.spine-health.com/topics/cd/d_sciatica/sc03.html
This sounds kind of like Topamax - although that makes you have fewer cravings for sweets.
ReplyWhat I guess we have to remember is that the pill doesn't do the work for you - you would have to eat less to see the results.
What is the dosage for betahistine to lose weight? People keep reporting weight GAIN when they are taking it. I have just got some but don't want to start gaining instead of losing....
ReplyHow did you get hold of it, Bridget, and WHO is telling you they've gained weight on it? Friends? or is it rumours? I'm on medication for diabetes. The info I've found doesn't think there would be a problem in that, but does anyone know any different?
ReplyDr. J, I have told her - but I am not a doctor first, and second, isn't it much better to be told that it is all genetics and not your fault, and that you can keep on eating all the jellybeans you want?
ReplyKeep telling her Jan. Being honest really is being her best friend! Maybe that link I provided will help her with her sciatic pain.
ReplyDr.j im in yr 10 and am from a school in sydney. Im doing an assignment on betahistine and want to know if it actually does make people lose a lot of weight, or if it actually, like bridget said, has made a lot of people gain weight. I would like to know as i want to know if this drug actually works. Thankyou
ReplyAnastatia! That's a very nice name! I wish I could give you a better answer to your question. As you already know, betahistine has been used as a treatment for a type of dizziness, vertigo. I don't know if it will help in weight loss. I do think that if it does, it will not help very much. It seems many people would like a pill to get them to do something that they do not want to do. Sometimes a pill can be a useful thing when a person has a disease which can't be helped enough by other means, but in almost every case weight loss can be achieved with a sensible diet and being active. When you think about it, isn't that a lot more fun? There is another thing. It's called self esteem or maybe self confidence. Think of it as just feeling good about yourself and the person you are becoming. If you have something in your life that is a little harder for you to do than other things and you apply yourself a little more so you are successful you will feel so good about it and you will be learning something that will help you so much in your life.
ReplyYou live in a wonderful country and I hope one day I will be able to visit Australia!
I have just finished week 2 on Betahistine 16mg tds. I am taking it purely to see if I lose weight. Starting weight was 69kg. Height 5ft 7 so not very overweight. Weight this morning was 67kg. Since I've been taking them I feel more hungry so have eaten more than ususal!! No other side effects at all.
ReplyLucy, I know that many over the counter sleep aids have an anti-histamine as there main ingredient. Does the Betahistine make you drowsy? Thanks!
ReplyNot at all drowsy. I was prescribed the tabs for a bout of labyrinthitis a few weeks ago. I got better after taking them for only 3 days so i stopped them. Then i read about the weight loss claims and decided to take the rest of the course. I don't think they are available OTC are they?
Lucy
ReplyThank you! Not over the counter that I know of.
Replyhows the diet going now? Should be week three
good luck
ReplyI am 42 with 2,5 y.o. daughter.Gained weight during pregnancy-around 8 kg.Can't lose it.Tried exercises,but unable to suppress appetite,therefore still fat.Hope Betahistine will help.Do I have a chance...
ReplyI can get these prescriibed for dizziness I have had for years but never bothered.. but since the weight loss claim I got some. Found an article in some scientific site that states 2 x 16mg was used in trial so I have been doing that for 9 days not sure anything has happened though.
ReplyHi Bridget, can you remember where it said that 2x16 mg is used in the study?
ReplyI have taken the tablets, 3 x 16mg daily for 2 weeks, no effect yet. I am 5'7 and weigh 82 kg. I gained 14 kgs very quickly after a long bout of pneumonia and antibiotics. I also take tetracycline for rosacea and do not know if it interfears?
Replyit is postulated that betahistine increases the levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin in the brainstem, which inhibits the activity of vestibular nuclei. Means, betahistine reduce the firing rate of vestibular nuclei in the brain.
serotonin- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin
ReplyEffects of betahistine on the vestibular receptors: binding sites
http://www.fisio.buap.mx/online/ArtHtml/BH%20formated%20correct%20B.html
ReplyI just got 20 tablets (16mg) from the doctors today. He said to use them bd for 10 days and then he would weigh me. If there is any loss then he will give me a further supply. I was wondering though if I should take them tds instead of bd. Any views please?
ReplyWhat part of BID (twice a day) is unclear? Recent studies have shown that women often do not follow their doctor's instructions. Come on Joanne, break the trend! (Sorry if I am wrong on the abbreviations) :-)
ReplyWell, what IS clear is that my doctor had no idea about the weight loss aspect, I had informed him and he agreed to go with it. He also cautioned me that they would make me drowsy,.....I think he was thinking...anti-histamine.
If you knew where I am located then you would also know why I am playing doctor by myself;
ReplyTook betahistine for labyrinthitis on a regular basis over 3 years and never lost weight, if anything put weight on. I no longer take them,nearly 2 years off them now, and have lost over a stone in weight, most of which I gained when on betahistine.
ReplyBetahistine (SERC) 16mg tabs avilable OTC in Mexico for anyone thats interested.
ReplyBH
Cuernavaca, Mexico
Can someone tell me if i should take the pills before or after meals and if it is ok for me to continue my regular gym workouts as well.
Thanx
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ReplyBetahistine cured my dissiness, it did not make me drowsy nor did it make me loose weight. However, I developed a 'tic' with my left eye which disappeared after I had stopped the pills for a week. I all fairness, I did not know the exact dossage for loosing weight and I was too cautious to experiment with a bigger dose of something I did not know more about.
wHAT IS THE DOSE AND FREQUENCY OF THIS DRUG, IS THERE A uk TRIAL,
Replybetahistine trials conducted in tel aviv stated that 48 mg. dosage was used for the weight loss. for the women who gained weight-were taking any other drug? the study done overseas looks very promising but the study is also done on people who are not taking any other drugs to rule out any other interactions.
key to losing weight is also to clear your mind and vision yourself thin. i know because i have been up and down my whole life. with stress and a cloudy mind i cannot lose weight.
ReplyMore info here: http://www.export.gov.il/Eng/_Articles/Article.asp?CategoryID=464&ArticleID=6202
Out of more than 520 patients screened, 281 were recruited and randomized into one of the four treatment groups: placebo, 16 mg., 32 mg., and 48 mg. daily doses. The drug is administered orally, twice daily, for a duration of 12 weeks. The study was conducted in order to extend the Company's preliminary observations that treatment of obese women with OBE101 for 4 weeks substantially reduced their fatty food intake and improved their weight loss, as compared to their control counterparts, treated with placebo.
"We are delighted with the rapid and efficient way in which the patient recruitment took place since its initiation in late January. We are currently looking forward to the successful completion of the trial in three months and hope to announce the results in the fall of this year, well ahead of our schedule," said Dr. Yaffa Beck, CEO of Obecure.
Replyim on betahistine for labrynthitis...ive put 4 pound on in weight despite more exercise and eating a balanced diet of 2000 cals per day...
ReplyI was prescribed Betahistine Hydrochloride, (16mg tid), last year for Vertigo. I lost over 2 stone in weight while taking the medication (weight I could afford to loose), but was unaware of the weight loss properties of the drug. Initially, I put the weight loss down to the stresses I had been under at the time. A colleague at work first made me aware of a new "super slimminng Pill" called Betahistine which she was hoping to try in order to loose excess weight. As I was presribed the drug for vertigo,and it is excellent for controlling the attacks, I only ever use it to treat that condition. Would it be safe for me to use as a slimming aid outwith vertigo attacks? Or would extra-curricular use have an adverse effect on the treatment of the condition?
Reply