Amfepramone (diethylpropion)

General information

Reports on the frequency of adverse reactions to amfepramone are not entirely consistent. The number of adverse effects reported by patients taking amfepramone closely paralleled the number in those taking placebo in one study in 90 obese individuals. In another 16-week controlled study in 95 subjects who took amfepramone 25 mg tds, the main adverse effect was nervousness. In 121 obese patients who took a shorter-acting form for an average of 4.4 months, adverse effects occurred in under 9%. They were nausea, vertigo in two patients, and nervousness and palpitation in another two; treatment was discontinued in three cases because of nausea, insomnia, and paresthesia [ ]. With long-acting amfepramone in a double-blind 16-week crossover study in 102 Austrian patients, adverse effects included nervousness, tension, nausea, dizziness, light-headedness, and dry mouth [ ]. The main unwanted effects in a double-blind trial of modified-release amfepramone (Tenuate Dospan) in 50 pregnant women were euphoria, sweating, irritability, and palpitation. Nervousness and insomnia were reported in another controlled study in 75 pregnant women [ ]. In neither of the last two studies were the adverse reactions serious enough to justify withdrawal. Dry mouth and insomnia were reported as the most frequent adverse effects in another clinical trial including 69 obese healthy adults [ ].

Organs and systems