New Diet Pill Expands Into 'Balloon' in Your Stomach Naomi Imatome-Yun - Heavy
go to original July 21, 2014

The capsule, not FDA-approved, is swallowed, then inflates in the stomach to make the patient feel full. (ABC News)

What is this ‘magic pill’ that people are traveling to Mexico to buy? It’s called Obalon and it supposedly helps to suppress your appetite and lose weight.

ABC News covered the weight loss pill with the above investigation (watch the video), and talked to two women getting ready to buy and take the pill.

Obalon Diet Pill Facts:

• Obalon is a nonsurgical gastric balloon.
• The pill is attached to a catheter. After you swallow the pill, a doctor inflates the balloon with nitrogen gas.
• Obalon inflates quickly into a small balloon. Patients report feeling full very quickly.
• The balloon is about the size of an apple.
• Two more balloons can be added during the 12-week period.
• The Obalon procedure done in Mexico costs about $4,000.
• It is not FDA-approved and is not currently available in the United States.
• Obalon is approved in the E.U. and is available for sale all over Europe.
• Unlike gastic bypass, the pill is not just for the morbidly obese.
• Some doctors, like Dr. Ariel Ortiz, who lives in San Diego but practices in Tijuana, report that their patients lose 30 pounds in 12 weeks.
• Side effects include: stomach pressure, cramps, possible nausea and vomiting during the first few days.

Read the rest at Heavy

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