For Healthcare Providers

How BELVIQ® and BELVIQ XR® Work

Feel Satisfied When Eating Less

Lorcaserin, the active ingredient in BELVIQ® (lorcaserin HCl) CIV and BELVIQ XR® (lorcaserin HCl) CIV, helps you feel satisfied with less food by targeting a hunger receptor in the brain. The precise way BELVIQ or BELVIQ XR produce feelings of satisfaction is not fully understood.

You should take BELVIQ or BELVIQ XR, with or without food, as prescribed by your Healthcare Provider, with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

A Closer Look at BELVIQ® (lorcaserin HCI) CIV and BELVIQ XR® (lorcaserin HCl) CIV

While the precise way BELVIQ and BELVIQ XR produce feelings of fullness is not fully understood, it is believed that BELVIQ and BELVIQ XR work by targeting a hunger receptor in the brain to help you feel satisfied.

It all starts with chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. Some neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, can stimulate the brain, telling us to take a certain action—such as "Eat now!" Other neurotransmitters, like serotonin, are associated with satiety.

In a nutshell: we smell food; certain neurotransmitters are released that make us want to eat; when we eat, serotonin is released, causing feelings of fullness when specific receptors associated with satiety.

As serotonin is naturally activating its receptors to cause feelings of fullness, BELVIQ and BELVIQ XR are believed to selectively activate those "fullness receptors," helping us feel satisfied with less food.

Important Safety Information

Valvular heart disease: Some people taking medicines like BELVIQ or BELVIQ XR have had heart valve problems. Call your Healthcare Provider right away if you experience trouble breathing; swelling of the arms, legs, ankles, or feet; dizziness, fatigue, or weakness that will not go away; or fast or irregular heartbeat. Before taking BELVIQ or BELVIQ XR, tell your Healthcare Provider if you have or have had heart problems.

Please see additional Important Safety Information below for BELVIQ® and BELVIQ XR®. 

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What is BELVIQ®/BELVIQ XR®?

BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR is a FDA-approved prescription weight-loss medication that, when used with diet and exercise, can help some adults (body mass index [BMI]  ≥27 kg/m2) living with extra weight, with a weight-related medical problem, or adults living with obesity (BMI  ≥30 kg/m2), lose weight and keep it off. It is not known if BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR when taken with other prescription, over-the-counter, or herbal weight-loss products is safe and effective. It is not known if BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR changes your risk of heart problems, stroke, or death due to heart problems or stroke.

Important Safety Information

  • Pregnancy: Do not take if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, as weight loss offers no benefit during pregnancy and BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR may harm your unborn baby.
  • Hypersensitivity reactions: Do not take if you are allergic to lorcaserin or any of the ingredients in BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR.
  • Serotonin Syndrome or Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS)-like reactions: Before using, tell your Healthcare Provider about all the medicines you take, especially medicines that treat depression, migraines, mental problems, or the common cold. These medicines may cause serious or life-threatening side effects if taken with BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR. Call your Healthcare Provider right away if you experience agitation, hallucinations, confusion, or other changes in mental status; coordination problems; uncontrolled muscle spasms; muscle twitching; restlessness; racing or fast heartbeat; high or low blood pressure; sweating; fever; nausea; vomiting; diarrhea; or stiff muscles.
  • Valvular heart disease: Some people taking medicines like BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR have had heart valve problems. Call your Healthcare Provider right away if you experience trouble breathing; swelling of the arms, legs, ankles, or feet; dizziness, fatigue, or weakness that will not go away; or fast or irregular heartbeat. Before taking BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR, tell your Healthcare Provider if you have or have had heart problems.
  • Changes in attention or memory: BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR may slow your thinking. You should not drive a car or operate heavy equipment until you know how BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR affects you.
  • Mental problems: Taking too much BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR may cause hallucinations, a feeling of being high or in a very good mood, or feelings of standing outside your body.
  • Depression or thoughts of suicide: Call your Healthcare Provider right away if you notice any mental changes, especially sudden changes in your mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings, or if you have depression or thoughts of suicide.
  • Low blood sugar: Weight loss can cause low blood sugar in people taking medicines for type 2 diabetes, such as insulin or sulfonylureas. Blood sugar levels should be checked before and while taking BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR. Changes to diabetes medication may be needed if low blood sugar develops.
  • Painful erections: If you have an erection lasting more than 4 hours while on, stop taking BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR and call your Healthcare Provider or go to the nearest emergency room right away.
  • Slow heartbeat: BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR may cause your heart to beat slower.
  • Decreases in blood cell count: BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR may cause your red and white blood cell counts to decrease.
  • Increase in prolactin: BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR may increase the amount of a hormone called prolactin. Tell your Healthcare Provider if your breasts begin to make milk or a milky fluid, or if you are a male and your breasts increase in size.
  • Most common side effects of BELVIQ®/BELVIQ XR®: Headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, dry mouth, constipation, cough, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) in patients with diabetes, and back pain.
  • Nursing: BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR should not be taken while breastfeeding.
  • Drug interactions: Before taking BELVIQ/BELVIQ XR, tell your Healthcare Provider if you take medicines for depression, migraines, or other medical conditions, such as: triptans; medicines used to treat mood, anxiety, psychotic or thought disorders, including tricyclics, lithium, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or antipsychotics; cabergoline; linezolid (an antibiotic); tramadol; dextromethorphan (an over-the-counter (OTC) common cold/cough medicine); OTC supplements such as tryptophan or St. John’s Wort; or erectile dysfunction medicines.

BELVIQ®/BELVIQ XR® is a federally controlled substance (CIV) because it may be abused or lead to drug dependence.
For more information about BELVIQ®/BELVIQ XR® talk to your Healthcare Provider and see the full Product Information.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or
call 1-800-FDA-1088.