Dexfenfluramine, also marketed under the name Redux, is a serotoninergic anorectic drug. Dexfenfluramine, the dextrorotatory isomer of fenfluramine, is indicated for use in the management of obesity in patients with a body mass index of > or = 30 kg/m2, or > or = 27 kg/m2 in the presence of other risk factors. Unlike fenfluramine, dexfenfluramine is a pure serotonin agonist. Dexfenfluramine increases serotonergic activity by stimulating serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) release into brain synapses, inhibiting its reuptake into presynaptic neurons and by directly stimulating postsynaptic serotonin receptors.

Dexfenfluramine reduces blood pressure, percent glycosylated hemoglobin, and concentrations of blood glucose and blood lipids, but these benefits may be indirect. Dexfenfluramine may also be of some value in controlling eating habits in diabetic patients, preventing weight gain after smoking cessation, and treating bulimia, seasonal affective disorder, neuroleptic-induced obesity, and premenstrual syndrome.

Dexfenfluramine's most frequent adverse effects are insomnia, diarrhea, and headache; it has also been associated with primary pulmonary hypertension. The drug should not be combined with other serotonergic agonists because of the risk of serotonin syndrome. The recommended dosage is 15 mg twice daily. Dexfenfluramine is effective in the treatment of obesity in selected patients. Because its efficacy is lost after six months of continuous treatment, it should be viewed primarily as an adjunct to diet and exercise. Dexfenfluramine was approved by the FDA in 1996 and has been widely used for the treatment of obesity. However, Dexfenfluramine was removed from the U.S. market in 1997 following reports of valvular heart disease and pulmonary hypertension.

Dexfenfluramine:
https://drugs.ncats.io/drug/PM28L0FHNP

Dexfenfluramine is a anorectic drug used to aid in weight loss. It is an appetite suppressant that functions by causing the release of the neurochemical serotonin. This is done by disrupting serotonin storage sites in the brain. The released serotonin causes a loss of appetite, and, in many people, also causes a feeling of fullness. This is one of several similar weight-loss supplements that was produced and marketed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. All of these supplements are anorectic, which is derived from Greek and translates as without appetite. Dexfenfluramine was also used to create a similar compound, fenfluramine, which is a combination of dexfenfluramine and levofenfluramine.

Dexfenfluramine was removed from the market by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 1997, after reports surfaced indicating that it caused serious cardiovascular side effects. These included heart valve disease and cardiac fibrosis. Dexfenfluramine was marketed in the United States under the name Redux, by Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories.

Excerpt from wiseGEEK:
https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-dexfenfluramine.htm

Student Paper from 1998:
Redux is commonly taken by overweight people. The primary task is to lessen the calorie intake related to an increased serotonin level in the brain. This increases level provides the sense of satisfaction which obese people lack. An increase in serotonin ( a hormone in the brain) eventually leads to weight loss. The combination of a decrease in caloric intake along with the excess production of serotonin by redux is what causes some to lose body weight. This redux treatment is associated with a loss of appetite and may slow gastric emptying.

One of the biggest goals Americans today set for themselves is to lose weight. It is a quest which many seek out and never reach. The twentieth century has brought about many changes in the world, but it has also brought about many self image problems. With waif-thin models walking the runway, and anorexic fourteen year olds as our role models it is not a wonder. Many young and older women are feeling threatened to fit this particular image.

Naturally, the lack in self confidence and esteem in these women has motivated doctors to new heights. Women want to be thin, so we will get them there. This is the mentality of many doctors; it is also for some women. Looking good has become such a goal for so many women that it outweighs the methods of getting there.

The non-obese person maintains normal weight without drugs. He/She experiences a sense of fullness which informs them when it is time to stop eating, simply stated- "I have had enough." Studies, similar to one in Metabolism, have shown that these feelings of fullness occur when certain neuro transmitters in the brain, known as serotonin molecules, are released

With the development of fenfluramine, or fen-phen, and dexfenfluramine, more commonly known as Redux, many females have been reaching their aspirations. Many concerns have been raised, however, with the side-effects and risks of these weight loosing pills.

What technology and further medical development holds for us in the future is unknown. Our bodies our very precious things. Weight loss plays an important factor in very few cases. People need to resolve to the "old fashion" ways of loosing weight; such as eating right and exercising regularly. Until the day when people become happy with themselves or find healthier methods of weight loss, we are stuck in this whirlpool of unsafe and hazardous methods.

Student Paper from Vanderbilt:
http://healthpsych.psy.vanderbilt.edu/HealthPsych/redux1.htm

Dexfenfluramine:

It was for some years in the mid-1990s, approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the purposes of weight loss. However, following multiple concerns about the cardiovascular side-effects of the drug, the FDA withdrew the approval in 1997

• A serotonergic anorectic drug
• It reduces appetite by increasing the amount of extracellular serotonin in the brain
• Structurally similar to fenfluramine and amphetamine, but lacks any psychologically stimulating effects