124 Diethylpropion
ulation sensations, perhaps explaining why using alcohol and anorectic drugs
together is allegedly so popular in that country. How popular is that practice?
In the latter 1980s the total distribution of diethylpropion and other anorectics
was compared to Brazil’s population, yielding enough drugs to supply a daily
dose to about 1.4% of the population that could afford to buy it, which is the
same as saying 0.7% of that wealthier population could be taking two doses
a day. The percentage of users becomes one third of those totals if doses are
divided among the entire population rather than just among those with
enough money to buy the drugs. By using a survey other researchers mea-
sured use of anorectics as totaling 1.3% of the population in one area of south-
ern Brazil in 1994, confined mostly to women from higher classes using the
drugs under medical prescription. Those percentages lump together usage of
diethylpropion with other anorectics, so usage of diethylpropion would be a
fraction of those percentages. And recreational usage of diethylpropion to-
gether with alcohol would be smaller yet.
Cancer.The drug’s potential for causing cancer is unknown.
Pregnancy.Tests with rabbits, mice, and rats produced no birth defects. A
case in which a pregnant woman taking diethylpropion gave birth to a mal-
formed infant raised fear that it may cause fetal damage, but studies of preg-
nant women taking the drug attribute no birth defects to it. Nonetheless,
potential for human birth defects is unknown. The drug passes into breast
milk.
Additional scientific information may be found in:Bolding, O.T. “Diethylpropion Hydrochloride: An Effective Appetite Suppressant.”
Current Therapeutic Research: Clinical and Experimental16 (1974): 40–48.
Carney, D.E., and E.D. Tweddell. “Double Blind Evaluation of Long Acting Diethyl-
propion Hydrochloride in Obese Patients from a General Practice.”Medical Jour-
nal of Australia1 (1975): 13–15.
Carney, M.W.P., and M. Harris. “Psychiatric Disorder and Diethylpropion Hydrochlo-
ride.”Practitioner223 (1979): 549–52.
Cohen, S.D. “Diethylpropion (Tenuate): An Infrequently Abused Anorectic.”Psycho-
somatics18 (1977): 28–33.
“Diethylpropion Psychosis.”Medical Journal of Australia2 (1970): 1052–53.
Glazer, G. “Long-Term Pharmacology of Obesity 2000: A Review of Efficacy and
Safety.”Archives of Internal Medicine161 (2001): 1814–24.
Hoffman, B.F. “Diet Pill Psychosis: Follow-up after 6 Years.”Canadian Medical Associ-
ation Journal129 (1983): 1077–78.
Silverman, M., and Ronald O. “The Use of an Appetite Suppressant (Diethylpropion
Hydrochloride) during Pregnancy.”Current Therapeutic Research: Clinical and Ex-
perimental13 (1971): 648–53.