Sometimes, even modern medicine needs a dose of improvement.

Two weeks ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned two popular diet drugs, fefluramine and phentermine (fen-phen), from the market. Fen-phen may lead to heart valve problems that may be life-threatening.

The drugs may be used by some people at OU, but there is no way to know for sure, said Jackie Legg, the Business Manager of Student Health Services.

She said a few people contacted the Hudson pharmacy about the drug.

"We have students coming to us from all over the world," she explained. "There is a possibility that there is someone on campus who is taking those drugs."

The FDA placed a 90-day ban on prescriptions for the appetite suppressants. Doctors have less than a month to wean their patients off the drugs.

Bonnie Carlucci, customer service operator for Wyeth-Ayerst, which produces fen-phen, said phone lines have been ringing off the hook with callers asking for advice.

"Everyone should talk to their doctor before they panic," she said.

Carlucci said physicians will usually tell their patients to go from two pills to one for two weeks and then stop.

Legg said if students at OU are taking the drugs, they should consult their physician.

Stephanie Dorgan, Assistant Director of Health Education and Wellness, said although fen-phen is a prescription drug combination, it may be easier to get than most people believe.

"You hear of physicians writing the stuff like it's candy," Dorgan said.

But Dorgan said students should not panic. Fen-phen is not targeted at college students, she said.

"The majority of us do not need them to lose weight," she said.

Dorgan said students should look for alternatives to weight-loss drugs, like a healthy eating program.

"If you're doing all the right things, then if weight is what you need to lose, it will probably happen," she said.