Technical Information

This section is dedicated to technical information about Reductil. It details the class of drug that Reductil is, and details both how and why it works.

The active ingredient in Reductil is sibutramine. Sibutramine reduces appetite via its active primary and secondary metabolites which inhibit the uptake of serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine. In human trials, it has been seen that sibutramine has more effect on the uptake of seratonin and noradrenaline, with only a negligible effect on dopamine uptake.

In animal tests using both lean and obese rats, sibutramine produces a reduction in bodyweight gain. It is thought that sibutramine leads to less food being consumed as the effect of increased levels of serotonin enhances satiety. In clinical trials in humans, this effect was replicated. There is also some evidence to suggest that sibutramine exerts a thermogenic effect on the resting metabolic rate, which helps to minimise the effect of the metabolism slowing down during weight loss.

Patients who lose weight when taking Reductil also exhibit beneficial changes in blood lipid levels and blood sugar levels, in patients with high cholesterol and type II diabetes.