Epilepsy drug leads to weight loss, side effects

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A drug approved to prevent seizures may also help obese people lose a few pounds when it’s added to therapy and nutritional guidance, a new small trial suggests. But people who took zonisamide also reported more side effects, from nausea and vomiting to anxiety and depression. And two researchers not involved in the study questioned how much the drug would actually help people in the real world. Although zonisamide is only approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for seizures, doctors can prescribe it “off-label” for non-approved purposes. …