According to the FDA`s prescribing information of the drug, some people should not use the drug, including: Four weight loss drugs have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for long-term use: Weight loss drugs work in different ways and are not for everyone. People who are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding should not use these medications. Weight management medications are for people with the following: These medications are all stimulants that work by feeling full faster, so you eat less. Some of these drugs are listed on Schedule IV, which means they have a higher potential for substance abuse (Perreault, 2021). Possible side effects of these short-term weight loss pills include increased heart rate, high blood pressure, sleep disturbances (insomnia), dry mouth, constipation, and nervousness. Xenical is not as effective as other weight loss recipes. A study comparing orlistat to liraglutide found that those who used the latter could lose more than twice as much weight as those who took orlistat. If you`re struggling with your weight, a healthy diet and regular physical activity can help you lose weight and keep it off in the long run. If these lifestyle changes aren`t enough to help you lose weight or maintain your weight loss, your doctor may prescribe medications as part of your weight control program. Phentermine/topiramate is a combination of phentermine and the anticonvulsant drug topiramate; Using both drugs together works better than any drug alone to reduce appetite. Due to the potential for abuse, it is considered a drug planned by the DEA.
You should avoid using phenterminin/topiramate if you have high blood pressure or coronary artery disease (Perrault, 2021). If you decide to stop taking the medication for any reason, talk to your doctor about how to do it safely. Stopping cold turkey can be dangerous with some of these medications. “Contrave, for example, needs to be gradually reduced,” warns Dr. Umashanker, “to reduce the risk of seizures.” Orlistat is a weight loss pill that inhibits pancreatic and gastric lipase and reduces the absorption of fats in the gastrointestinal tract. It can be taken with meals in doses of 120 mg (Xenical) and 60 mg (Alli) OTC. Side effects include: flatulence with fat outflow and urge to defecate after eating high-fat foods, side effects that lead to discontinuation of the drug. Research shows that some people who take prescription weight control medications lose 10% or more of their starting weight.5,6 Results vary by medication and person.
Diets can feel like a tough fight. With Alli by your side, you can get a boost for your diet. When used as intended, alli can help you lose 50% more weight than a diet alone. Sometimes medical professionals use drugs in a different way than what the FDA has approved. This is called “off-label” use. Choosing a non-label drug to treat overweight and obesity that your doctor may prescribe over the course of a year can mean weight loss of 3% to 7% of total body weight, which is higher than what is achieved with lifestyle changes alone. This may seem modest. But sustained weight loss of 5% to 10% can have significant health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure, blood sugar and triglyceride levels. How it works: Contrave is a combination of two FDA-approved drugs, naltrexone and bupropion, in an extended-release formula. Naltrexone is approved for the treatment of alcohol and opioid dependence. Bupropion is approved to treat depression and seasonal affective disorder and to help people quit smoking.
Phentermine topiramate is a combination of a weight loss drug (phentermine) and an anticonvulsant (topiramate). Phentermine has the potential to be abused because it acts like an amphetamine. Other possible side effects include increased heart rate and blood pressure, insomnia, constipation and nervousness. Topiramate increases the risk of birth defects. Before receiving any weight loss medication, tell your doctor about your medical history. These include allergies or other conditions you have; the medications or supplements you are taking (even if they are herbal or natural) and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning to get pregnant soon. A BMI of 25-30 places a person in the overweight category. A BMI greater than 30 is considered obese. Your primary care doctor may prescribe a weight loss medication, as may an obesity medicine doctor or endocrinologist who treats weight-related health problems such as diabetes. Currently, there are only a handful of weight loss drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Among the most commonly used are the following.
So, what are the best weight loss pills out there? Read on to find out. Approved for long-term use? Yes. Qsymia has much lower amounts of phentermine and topiramate than when these drugs are given alone. Qsymia combines a low dose of phentermine with topiramate, a drug used to treat seizures and migraines. “Phentermine helps suppress appetite and topiramate seems to reduce cravings,” says Dr. Simonetti. “Because we use a low dose of phentermine, Qsymia can be used over a long period of time and usually produces good results.” Bupropion-naltrexone is a combined drug. Naltrexone is used to treat alcohol and opioid dependence. Bupropion is an antidepressant and an aid to smoking cessation.
Like all antidepressants, bupropion carries a warning about the risk of suicide. Bupropion-naltrexone may increase blood pressure and monitoring is necessary at the beginning of treatment. Common side effects include nausea, headache, and constipation. You should always focus on diet and exercise while taking these medications, and they are not for everyone. Phentermine itself (Adipex-P, Lomaira) is also used for weight loss. It is one of four similar weight loss drugs approved for short-term use (less than 12 weeks). Other drugs in this group are not widely used. If you have lost enough weight to improve your health and do not have any serious side effects, your doctor may advise you to continue taking the medication indefinitely. If you don`t lose at least 5% of your initial weight after 12 weeks with the full dose of your medication, your doctor will likely advise you to stop taking it. Your doctor may also be a patient looking for a treatment for obesity? Find an obesity medicine specialist who can help you with your health and weight loss goals.
Click here to find a bariatric clinician near you. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved four drugs for short-term use (up to 12 weeks) to achieve weight loss: Losing 5% to 10% of your initial body weight can help improve your health by lowering blood sugar, blood pressure, and triglyceride levels. Losing weight can also improve other health problems related to overweight and obesity, such as joint pain and sleep apnea. Most weight loss occurs within the first 6 months after starting treatment. Liraglutide is also used to treat diabetes. Unlike other weight loss medications, liraglutide is given by injection. Nausea is a common complaint. Vomiting may limit its use. These pills are not a perfect solution for obesity.
Weight loss drugs are used with a healthy diet and an exercise program, which should be continued after treatment. Side effects are also common and can be serious. Before choosing a medication for you, your doctor will review your history and health problems. Next, your doctor will talk to you about the pros and cons of prescription weight loss medications. Prior to 2012, there were few weight loss drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The main drugs at the time were phentermine and orlistat. Orlistat is the only drug of its kind approved in the United States. All other prescription weight loss medications curb your appetite, including the following. One study showed that 59% of those who took Plenity lost 5% or more of their body weight and 27% lost more than 10% of their weight. This is compared to 42% and 15% respectively in the placebo group. Most prescription weight loss medications work by reducing appetite or increasing satiety.
Some do both. The exception is orlistat. It works by interfering with fat absorption. The drug semaglutide (Wegovy) received FDA approval in 2021 to treat obesity.