Adults facing health-related issues sometimes find themselves unable to lose the weight they need with lifestyle modifications alone. This determination leads many individuals struggling with obesity to seek the help available to them through weight-loss medications. But sometimes, these drugs will present other problems to users that make them unsafe to ingest. 

What is Belviq

Belviq is a weight-loss medication that promotes feelings of fullness in users without eating a large amount of food during meals. Belviq was available to users through prescription and over the counter. And many users reported high rates of success with the medicine. However, Belviq may be a weight-loss medication that comes with risks that outweigh potential rewards. 

Belviq Side Effects

Throughout most of its 8-year availability to weight-loss patients, the side effects associated with Belviq were thought to be minor in severity. The manufacturers of the drug reported 11 effects suffered by five percent of people given the drug during its clinical trial phase. This list of side-effects include:

● Dizziness
● Nausea
● Headache
● Dry mouth
● Constipation

Clinical trial participants suffering from diabetes also experienced:

● Back pain
● Fatigue
● Cough
● Hypoglycemia

Cancer Risks Associated with Belviq

The Food and Drug Administration requested that Eisai Inc., the manufacturer of Belviq, remove the medicine from U.S. markets in early 2020. The request resulted from data suggesting the weight-loss medication increased the risks faced by users for certain cancers. The cancers associated with Belviq users affect the colon, lungs, and pancreas. 

The data was the result of a five-year study that tracked the health of clinical trial participants. Eisai has gone on record to say the company disagrees with the FDA's interpretation of the data gleaned from the study. However, the company says it agreed to the voluntary recall of Belviq out of respect for consumers and the administration. 

Suggestions for People Taking Belviq

The FDA recommends Belviq users stop taking the medication and speak with their physicians about alternatives to the drug. The administration has also advised physicians to no longer prescribe Belviq to weight-loss patients. The FDA is not instructing users to undergo any specific type of cancer screening. 

The FDA also urges consumers who still possess the dangerous medication to dispose of it at a takeback location if one is available where they live. If no takeback location is close, the administration provides instructions on how consumers can safely dispose of medication themselves. 

The first step of the disposal process is to mix the pills with dirt, cat litter, or other substance with which people will not want contact. Consumers should then place the mixture in a sealed plastic bag. The consumer should discard the plastic bag along with other trash in the home of the consumer. 

Legal Action Against Belviq

Several lawsuits are currently in the works against the makers of Belviq. These lawsuits are in their early stages, and there is not much news available regarding potential damage compensation. 

Consumers who took Belviq for at least six consecutive months before their diagnosis are candidates for compensation. Lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers are the only types associated with current Belviq lawsuits. Cancer must originate in one of these three parts of the body. Cancer that spreads from another part of the body does not make the consumer eligible for a Belviq lawsuit. 

It is also important to note that the six month period does not have to include the six months immediately proceeding the diagnosis. However, the six months of use should take place no more than seven years before the cancer diagnosis.