Q. My daughter has unlimited access to diet pills on the Internet. She sometimes orders three months supply from one source and shortly thereafter orders more, either from another source or under another name. I fear she is addicted to these pills.
She has been taking these prescription tablets (Bontril) for several years. When she is on them she is very difficult to live with and talks incessantly. She is in college; her grades are slipping and she is always having a “falling out” with one friend or another.
When she buys pills from the Internet she resells them on campus. She claims they are very weak and harmless, and she has to take two or three even to notice the effect. Is this drug really safe?
A. Phendimetrazine (Bontril, Plegine) is a prescription stimulant (somewhat like amphetamine) used to suppress appetite. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies it as a controlled substance with “moderate dependence liability.”
Your daughter’s description of the pill as weak and harmless is bogus. Regular use can lead to “tolerance,” in which more is needed to achieve the same effect. As with amphetamine, such a drug can be abused.
Side effects include insomnia, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, digestive upset, dry mouth, headache, agitation, restlessness and even psychosis. Stopping suddenly can lead to severe depression and fatigue.
It is shocking that can people can purchase such medications without a prescription or any medical supervision. Reselling this controlled drug is illegal.
Q. My 76-year-old mother is worried she is taking too many medicines and suffering drug interactions and side effects. She takes atenolol, Norvasc and lisinopril for high blood pressure. She also takes Lanoxin and Coumadin for her heart.
Several months ago she injured her knee and her doctor suggested ibuprofen. Her blood pressure is no longer under control (184/96). She complains of being out of breath and is troubled with constipation, dizziness, insomnia and fatigue.
Until last year my mother was very healthy with lots of energy. I wonder if the sudden change is due to getting older or if the medications she is on could be causing trouble.
A. Your mother’s physician needs to review her medicines and monitor her heart function closely. Lisinopril may affect Lanoxin levels. Ibuprofen may reduce the benefits of atenolol, which might explain her increased blood pressure. Ibuprofen and Coumadin can interact badly to lead to a bleeding ulcer.
We are sending you our Guides to Blood Pressure Treatment, Coumadin Interactions and Older People for more details on some of these issues. Anyone who would like copies, please send $4 in check or money order with a long (no. 10) stamped (60 cents), self-addressed envelope: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. OBD-84, P. O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.
Your mother’s breathing difficulties and some of her other symptoms might be side effects of atenolol or another of her medications. She must NOT stop any of them on her own, but a re-evaluation is overdue.
Q. I’ve read about a new birth control pill that allows a woman to skip monthly periods. Is that safe?
A. The FDA has just approved Seasonale, which provides three months of continuous contraception and menstrual suppression. Most gynecologists believe this is perfectly safe.
