Belviq is an FDA approved weight loss medication. It’s the first weight loss medication approved by the FDA in more than a decade. Find out how Belviq works today in our review.
What is Belviq?
Belviq (lorcaserin HCl) is an FDA-approved weight loss medication designed to help you lose weight in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise system.
It’s the first medication approved by the FDA in more than a decade. Belviq promises to help you lose weight and keep it off – and it cites clinical trials that involved more than 8,000 people as evidence.
Belviq essentially works by suppressing your appetite. It reduces a hunger-activating mechanism in your brain, which means you feel less hungry. When you’re less hungry, you eat less food. That’s it.
The medication is specifically targeted towards men and women who have a Body Mass Index over 27kg/m2 (classified as obese or overweight).
Belviq is only available through prescription. Should you talk to your doctor to find out if Belviq is right for you? Keep reading to find out how Belviq works.
How Does Belviq Work?
Belviq helps you feel satisfied with less food. It works by targeting a specific hunger receptor in the brain. Oddly enough, even the manufacturer of Belviq admits they don’t really understand how it works. Here’s how the official website describes it:
“The precise way BELVIQ® produces feelings of satisfaction is not fully understood.”
What we do know about Belviq is that you take one 10mg tablet twice a day, with or without food. Then, you go on a reduced calorie diet and increase your physical activity.
Belviq is thought to work in a similar way to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which blocks the re-absorption of the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin, helping you feel better. The drug specifically works as a serotonin 2C receptor agonist.
While taking Belviq, you’ll meet with your doctor regularly to track your weight loss progress. If you don’t lose a certain amount of weight within the first 12 weeks, then your doctor will likely tell you to stop taking Belviq.
Obviously, the best way to lose weight is to eat less food and exercise more often. Belviq makes it easier to eat less food, which means you consume fewer calories per day.
Scientific Evidence for Belviq
Belviq has gone through several clinical trials involving a total of 8,000 patients. Remember: in order for a weight loss medication to be approved by the FDA, it has to have a proven record of safety and efficacy in multiple clinical trials.
With that in mind, Belviq publishes the results of its clinical trials at its website. You can view their evidence page here.
Thus far, Belviq has completed two major clinical trials. One study involving 4,008 people lasted one year, and another study involving 3,182 people lasted 2 years.
Some of the highlights of those studies include:
-47.1% of participants taking Belviq lost 5% or more of their body weight after 1 year of treatment. In a placebo group that only did the diet and exercise portion of the program, 22.6% people lost 5% or more of their body weight.
-22.4% of participants lost up to 10% of their body weight after 1 year of treatment, compared to 8.7% in the diet and exercise group
-Participants were able to lose weight and maintain weight loss for up to 2 years while taking Belviq. All participants in the study gained weight “but remained below their starting weight”
-Belviq was tested in a separate study involving 604 overweight men and women with type 2 diabetes, and participants in this study also lost weight
Side Effects of Belviq
According to the product packaging for Belviq, the most common adverse reactions (seen in more than 5% of non-diabetic users) include all of the following:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Dry Mouth
- Constipation
In diabetic patients, the most common side effects were hypoglycemia, headache, back pain, cough, and fatigue.
Should You Take Belviq?
Belviq is designed for a very specific group of people, including those who are overweight or obese according to their body mass index. As a prescription medication, Belviq can only be taken under direction from your medical professional.
The drug works in a similar way to an SSRI and comes with similar side effects. It’s not recommended that you take Belviq when combined with SSRIs and other anti-depression medication. Oddly enough, it should also not be taken with St. John’s Wort.
Your doctor will supervise you as you take Belviq. If you haven’t lost a specific amount of weight in 12 weeks, then you’ll likely be told to stop taking Belviq.
Ultimately, Belviq is one of the few weight loss medications approved by the FDA. Although its methods of actions aren’t fully understood, its effectiveness has been reinforced by multiple scientific studies.
