Introduction

Any drug touted to promote fat loss will always come under scrutiny. And often, rightly so. Many of these over the counter ‘fat burners’ are too good to be true. At best, they provide some mild stimulation that might help you get out of bed to do your cardio. At worst, you’ve wasted £40.

Lorcaserin falls into an entirely different category to these supplements, as it has actually been used in clinical practice to treat obesity. It has an incredibly unique mechanism of action that actually has nothing at all to do with energy, metabolism or fatty acid mobilisation.

Here we will give an unbiased explanation of all the key things to know and understand about Lorcaserin!

What is Lorcaserin?

Lorcaserin is a weight loss supplement which works on serotonin receptors to reduce appetite. When combined with dietary and lifestyle changes, it has been used to combat obesity and related diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The over-the-counter supplement we can most easily compare it to is actually 5-HTP, not usually a supplement considered a fat loss agent but one which can also be useful in appetite control.

Lorcaserin is currently only available in the US, but for UK customers looking for an appetite solution, we’d suggest Genius Diet Pills (with 5-HTP). We talk more about appetite suppressants as fat burners here.

What are the benefits of Lorcaserin?

• Lower appetite
• Increase rate of weight loss

As you would expect, the most interesting benefit of Lorcaserin for those who would be looking to supplement it is enhanced weight loss versus without. As Lorcaserin specifically works to manage appetite, it would be of particular interest to those who struggle to adhere to a diet due to snacking and overeating.

It also seems to improve other markers associated with poor diet and obesity, like improvement in blood lipids, reduction in blood pressure and markers of cardiovascular risk.

Lorcaserin Side Effects and Dangers

• Changes in mood or behaviour
• Trouble concentrating or remembering things
• Headache or dizziness

Lorcaserin, or any weight loss pill or fat burner for that matter, should not be taken by pregnant women unless prescribed and monitored by a doctor. Like 5-HTP, Lorcaserin should not be taken alongside other supplements that act on serotonin like SSRIs (a group of anti-depressants).

To avoid developing side effects, the minimum effective dose of Lorcaserin should be used and the supplement should be taken for the shortest period possible while observing the desired results. In prelicensure studies and while in clinical use [for 8 years], lorcaserin was not found to be associated with serum enzyme elevations during therapy or to instances of clinically apparent liver injury.⁽¹⁾ It has also been found that in a high-risk population of overweight or obese patients, lorcaserin facilitated sustained weight loss without a higher rate of major cardiovascular events than that with placebo.⁽²⁾

How to use Lorcaserin and Lorcaserin Dose

10mg twice a day is the recommended dosage of Lorcaserin, taken with or without a meal. In clinical practice, Lorcaserin will be discontinued after 12 weeks if results are not seen.

If weight loss is the goal, there is no reason why you can’t use other supplements that work via different pathways to help elicit fat loss. One of those can be found in our Incinerator Stack, which combines Lorcaserin and the powerful stimulant Geranamine. The stack will keep you going all day while crushing hunger!

Other supplements that might work well with Lorcaserin include L-Carnitine, which can help free fatty acids so that they can be used as fuel. Caffeine can also be used to boost energy and output, or Yohimbine to aid fat loss in stubborn areas.

This should go without saying, but it’s worth adding that Lorcaserin is unlikely to give you the results you want without lifestyle changes. For those who are overweight, this means shifting energy balance to put yourself in a calorie deficit. You can do this by reducing calorie intake, increasing exercise, or both. You can easily work out if these changes put you in a calorie deficit as your weight will trend down! It is difficult to quantify the ideal rate of loss as this will depend how overweight a person is and how much fat they have available to lose. You can however usually expect to lose the most in the first couple of weeks of dieting. If you are unsure if you are losing weight too slowly or quickly, always discuss this with a doctor!

Find out how to get shredded fast and how supplements can play into this!

Final Thoughts

Lorcaserin is a supplement that is prescribed in real medical scenarios to individuals who are obese and/or suffering from related illnesses. It has been the topic of many studies which show it can increase the rate of weight loss versus a placebo. Results would be more pronounced if combined with good adherence to a training and diet programme.

If you are interested, check out our Incinerator Stack for more info!

References

⁽¹⁾ LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2012–. Lorcaserin. 2020 Jun 5. PMID: 31644141.

⁽²⁾ Bohula EA, Wiviott SD, McGuire DK, Inzucchi SE, Kuder J, Im K, Fanola CL, Qamar A, Brown C, Budaj A, Garcia-Castillo A, Gupta M, Leiter LA, Weissman NJ, White HD, Patel T, Francis B, Miao W, Perdomo C, Dhadda S, Bonaca MP, Ruff CT, Keech AC, Smith SR, Sabatine MS, Scirica BM; CAMELLIA–TIMI 61 Steering Committee and Investigators. Cardiovascular Safety of Lorcaserin in Overweight or Obese Patients. N Engl J Med. 2018 Sep 20;379(12):1107-1117. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1808721. Epub 2018 Aug 26. PMID: 30145941.