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Tenuate
Tenuate is a prescription medicine that is used for treating obesity. It works by suppressing the appetite and possibly increasing the metabolism. The medication, which should be combined with diet and exercise, is only approved for short-term use. Tenuate is available in short-acting and long-acting tablets that are generally taken one to three times daily. Potential side effects include insomnia, shakiness, and dizziness.
What Is Tenuate?
Tenuate® (diethylpropion hydrochloride) is a prescription medication approved to treat obesity for short-term use only (just a few weeks). It should be used along with an appropriate diet and exercise.
(Click Tenuate Uses for more information, including possible off-label uses.)
Who Makes Tenuate?
Brand-name Tenuate is no longer being made. Generic Tenuate is manufactured by Watson Laboratories and CorePharma, LLC.
How Does It Work?
The drug works by suppressing the appetite, and it may also increase the metabolism. It is chemically related to amphetamines.
Effectiveness
Only very short studies have evaluated the effectiveness of medications like Tenuate. In these studies, people taking these weight loss drugs lost more weight than those not taking the drugs, but the difference was very small (only a fraction of a pound more per week). Studies also suggest that the effects of these types of drugs for weight loss decrease after the first few weeks.
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD