Research at The Center for Weight Management

By Dr. Ed Hendricks on February 25, 2009

    If you have read the “Latest in Obesity Research” page on this website you’ll recall that last year we conducted a nationwide survey of obesity treatment specialists under the auspices of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP). The survey discovered that phentermine is the most favored anti-obesity drug of obesity treatment specialists; the drug is the first choice of 97% of these specialists. Dr. Hendricks presented the survey results at the ASBP’s 58th annual symposium in Tampa last fall (Hendricks EJ. ASBP Membership Survey of Prescribing Practices. In: 58th Annual Obesity & Associated Conditions Symposium. Tampa, Florida: American Society of Bariatric Physicians; 2008). The results were also presented in October 2008 as a scientific poster at the Obesity Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting in Phoenix (Hendricks EJ, Greenway FL, Westman EC, et al. A Survey of Prescribing Practices of Medical Bariatricians, Abstract 840P. In: Annual Scientific Meeting. Phoenix, AZ: The Obesity Society; 2008). A manuscript detailing the results together with some additional data from our patients prepared by Dr. Frank Greenway has been accepted for publication by the journal Obesity (Hendricks EJ, Rothman RB, Greenway FL. How Physician Obesity Specialists Use Drugs to Treat Obesity. Obesity 2008;Submitted November 20, 2008, Manuscript ID 08-0897-Orig.R1.)

    Our study of phentermine’s effects on blood pressure is still in progress. Preliminary results with a limited number of subjects suggest that in patients with normal blood pressure given phentermine blood pressure remains unchanged. On the other hand, we see blood pressures go down in patients with high blood pressures or with borderline high blood pressures. (What was once termed “borderline” is now called “prehypertension). Some preliminry data was presented at a scientific poster session at the Obesity Society meeting last fall (Hendricks EJ, Westman EC. Phentermine Therapy in Obesity Treatment: Effect on Blood Pressure 582P. Obesity 2008;16, Supplement 1:S216).

      Recently Dr. Rothman came across a letter-to-the-editor in the International Journal of Cardiology which incorrectly maligned phentermine. We wrote a rebuttal letter defending phentermine which has just been published online (Rothman RB, Hendricks EJ. Phentermine Cardiovascular Safety. International journal of cardiology 2009;doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2008.12.205). Perhaps you are aware that the length of time from submittal of a paper to a scientific journal to acceptance is commonly many months and that there is often then a lag of more months before the paper is actually published. Evidently the editor of the International Journal of Cardiology liked our letter – it was accepted the same day it was submitted and published online a month after it was submitted. If anyone would like a copy, you can stop by either office and pick one up or email us and we’ll send you a copy.

    What about our newest studies? We have 5 new studies in progress and 3 others in planning stages. New studies underway include:

1.     A Retrospective Study of Abrupt Phentermine Cessation in Patients in a Weight Management Program using a modification of Kampman et al’s CSSA psychometic scale.
2.     A retrospective study of phentermine cessation using a modification of McGregor’s ACSA psychometric scale.
3.     A Prospective study of symptoms occurring following abrupt phentermine cessation.
4.     A study investigating whether phentermine cravings occur in patients during phentermine therapy.
5.     A retrospective study of long-term phentermine therapy. 

New studies at the planning stage include:

1.     A one year FDA approved, IRB monitored, phentermine dose-ranging clinical trial.
2.     A study for the development, evaluation, and validation of a psychometric scale for phentermine effects.
3.     A study of the correlation of patient compliance and long-term weight loss success.

  I’ll discuss these new studies in more detail in up-coming blog entries.

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