Results promising, say researchers: An epilepsy drug combined with a reduced-calorie diet may result in significant weight loss for obese adults, according to one of several obesity studies in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association.

The epilepsy drug research was prompted by reports of unintentional weight loss in epilepsy patients using zonisamide to prevent seizures. CNN As a physician (who prescribes epilepsy drugs as part of my neuropsychiatric practice and also because we use them in the control of impulsive-aggressive-labile behavior disorders), I’ve already been receiving requests from patients to be placed on zonisamide given these news reports. In fact, that is how I heard about this research finding. This is a phenomenon that has repeated itself whenever the media report that a drug shows promise for weight loss. But people should stop hoping for passive weight loss miracles, of course. Stop calling, for three reasons —

• the weight loss effect is not going to turn out to be very robust or very sustained
• the increased activity level is more important to any weight loss than the medication effects
• and the cognitive slowing and other potential side effects of taking most anticonvulsants are not pleasant enough if you do not absolutely need these medications for cause

My reading suggests there may be some promising, specific weight loss agents that work by novel mechanisms on the physiology of appetite and satiation, or on metabolism coming down the pike, but not zonisamide or topiramate or Prozac.