An anoerxiant,
mazindol suppresses food intake by 1) stimulating
beta-adrenergic receptors, 2) inhibiting the feeding center and, 3) stimulating the satiety center in the hypothalamus. In Japan,
mazindol is available for clinical use. We examined the effects of
mazindol on 1)
body weight, appetite, and abnormalities of
obesity-related diseases in long-term use 2) maintenance of the reduced
body weight after very-
low-calorie diet (VLCD)
therapy 3) combined use with VLCD
therapy and, 4) inhibition of
body weight gain in
Prader-Willi syndrome. In long-term effects of
mazindol, the average reduction of individual
body weight was around 6.8 kg. The appetite of 59% of obese subjects was moderately suppressed. Systolic blood pressure, serum GOT, serum
triglyceride, serum
cholesterol, and
glucose tolerance were also improved. With
mazindol, 53.3% of obese subjects kept the reduced
body weight after VLCD, in contrast, 20.0% of them kept it without
mazindol. Combined use of
mazindol with VLCD made the VLCD
therapy more effective in outpatients. Two of 3 patients with
Prader-Willi syndrome inhibited their
body weight gain with
mazindol. Thus,
mazindol produced positive effects in these studies, although the effects were limited.