Those Wanting To Lose Weight Will Have New Option After FDA's Approval of Belviq

If you want to lose weight, there is a new drug on the market that may help you.

Belviq is the first weight loss drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration in more than 10 years. Researchers say it does not have deadly side effects like others before it.

Anapoula Ferreria has tried different weight loss pills before, but quit, not liking the way they made her feel.

"It's just the heart. I would shake, get nervous ... things like that," Ferreria said. "The heart would speed up. That's why I don't take anything."

The FDA says Belviq helps users lose at least 3 percent of their body weight, but the drug must be combined with exercise and healthy eating.

For nurse Karen Manning, it's too risky.

"There's always side effects to everything," she said. "You're always better doing it the natural way. Sometimes you don't find it till later. "

Click here to read about a teen who says gastric bypass surgery changed her life.

Like most weight loss pills, the drug works by blocking a specific receptor in the brain, and that makes user feel full after eating a small amount.

Some weight loss pills have been pulled from the market after causing heart problems. Researchers think it's because a certain receptor was activated on heart tissue.

"Remember Phen-Fen?" nurse Sandra Foo asked Manning.

"We had a patient with cardiac arrest," Manning replied.

According to the FDA, Belviq does not appear to activate that receptor.

Get more information about Belviq from the FDA here.

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