“I don’t want anyone else going through the pain I have been through.”
I am trying to find all the information I can about Meridia. I want to share my story so that others may be able to avoid a similar situation through this knowledge.
My husband was given a prescription for this new diet pill in conjunction with a weight loss program. He had already been on the weight loss program for approximately 6 weeks and was losing weight at a fairly rapid rate. Eleven weeks after starting this medication, he died. He was buried one month after his 43rd birthday. The medical examiner listed “dilated cardiomyopathy” as the cause of death.
No one else was home when it happened; but from all the signs, he must have felt short of breath as he was found with his belt and pants undone. He fell over face first and his arms were down at his sides, so no attempt to break his fall was made. I was told that he probably was dead when he fell.
Approximately one to two hours before his death, friends had stopped by. They have commented on how upbeat and healthy he seemed to be. He was just finishing mowing the lawn and did not appear to be out of breath or physically stressed at that point.
I am having a gut instinct that something is wrong here. If he had a prior heart condition, he should not have been put on Meridia according to all the information I have read so far. And if there was a prior heart condition it should have been detected by the doctor managing the weight loss program (an EKG was done I am told).
I am very concerned that there may be a lot of “guinea pigs” testing out this diet pill and I don’t want anyone else going through the pain I have been through. I have heard that a couple of hospitals in our area have taken all patients off of it and that doctors are not to prescribe it, but I can’t get any hard facts.
Any help or information would be greatly appreciated. And I would very much like to hear from anyone with ANY bad experiences with Meridia. Thank you for caring.
Cheryl Steiner, Chelsea, Michigan
cheryl@provide.net
Years 2000 and Prior
This is Survivor Story number 64.
Total number of stories in current database is 96
