Do you, as an adult, suffer from significant health issues as a result of your weight? Have diet and exercise been tried, but you couldn’t lose enough weight? If the answer to these questions is yes, you might consider a prescription weight-loss medication.
Prescription medications are ones that your doctor has suggested you take. They cannot be bought off the shelf in a pharmacy like non-prescription drugs.
Just be aware that you must supplement healthy eating and exercise with prescription weight-loss medications, not the other way around.
HOW EFFECTIVE ARE WEIGHT-LOSS MEDICATIONS?
Compared to an ineffective treatment that doesn’t employ a medicine, known as a placebo, long-term use prescription weight-reduction medications cause significant weight loss. Greater weight loss than just lifestyle changes is achieved when weight-loss medications are used in conjunction with them.
An additional 3% to 12% of total body weight can be decreased with these medications over the course of a year compared to lifestyle improvements alone. It might not seem like much. On the other hand, maintaining a weight decrease of between 5 and 10% can significantly improve your health. For instance, it can reduce blood pressure, blood sugar, and fat levels. triglycerides.
Lomaira and Adipex (phentermine)
The weight-loss drug that is most frequently prescribed in this nation is phentermine. It aids in appetite suppression and prolongs the feeling of fullness. A stimulant drug similar to amphetamine called phentermine may harm your heart. As a result, it’s typically utilized in the short term (usually 12 weeks at a time).
The whole range of possible side effects includes :
- Breathing difficulty
- Chest pain
- Higher blood pressure
- Heartbeats that are faster or more hammering
- Unrest or difficulty sleeping
- Mouth ache
- Dizziness
- Mood swings Itchiness
In research that included nearly 800 participants with BMIs above 25, 45.6% of those who used phentermine for 12 weeks could drop 5% or more of their starting body weight.
Semaglutide
Semaglutide is additionally used to manage type 2 diabetes. To treat obesity, you administer it as a weekly shot.
It may have adverse effects like :
- Nausea and diarrhea
- Diarrhea
- Belly ache
- Headache and Tiredness
Orlistat
A reduced-strength version of Orlistat is also available without a prescription (Alli). Gas and loose stools are two possible adverse effects of orlistat. When using this medication, a low-fat diet is required. Rarely, orlistat has caused significant liver damage in patients. However, scientists have not discovered that the medication damages the liver.
Setmelanotide
Only those with obesity brought on by one of these uncommon genetic disorders and who are at least 6 years old have FDA approval :
- Lack of pro-opiomelanocortin
- Lack of proprotein subtilisin-kexin type 1
- Lack of leptin receptors
You must have test results proving you have one of these conditions in order to use the medication. None of the genetic disorders that cause these illnesses are treated by setmelanotide. But it can aid with weight loss. It may decrease your appetite and increase your sense of fullness. Additionally, it might aid calorie burning while your body is resting.
- Skin that is swollen or inflamed where the needle was inserted
- A few darker skin spots
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Belly ache
- Undesirable sexual responses
- Depression
- Suicidal ideas
Phentermine-topiramate
The weight-loss medication phentermine and the anticonvulsant topiramate are combined to create phentermine-topiramate. Given that it functions similarly to the stimulant substance known as amphetamine, phentermine has the potential to be abused. Other negative effects could include anxiety, sleeplessness, diarrhea, and an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. The risk of birth abnormalities is raised with topiramate.
The weight loss drug phentermine alone (Adipex-P, Lomaira) is also utilized. It is one of four comparable weight-loss medications known for short-term usage that have been licensed for use for less than 12 weeks. The other medications in this class are only sometimes administered.
Bupropion-naltrexone
A combo medication is bupropion and naltrexone. Addiction to alcohol and opioids is treated with naltrexone. Bupropion is a medication for treating depression (often known as an antidepressant) as well as quit-smoking assistance. Bupropion contains the same suicide risk warning as all other antidepressants. Blood pressure can be increased with bupropion-naltrexone. As a result, at the beginning of treatment, your provider will need to check your blood pressure periodically. Constipation, headaches, and nausea are typical adverse effects.
Plenity
Technically speaking, Plenity is not a drug but medical equipment. It is a capsule filled with hydrogel particles that are highly absorbent. Particles produced from the tablet as it is swallowed help to fill up to one-fourth of the stomach (when a person is fully hydrated). You’re more likely to eat less when the stomach is at least somewhat full.
You take three Plenity capsules with 16 ounces of water an hour before lunch and an hour before dinner. The particles help you feel fuller so you eat less because they absorb the water and combine with the food in your stomach.
The most frequent negative consequences include the following :
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating
- Flatulence
For consultation visit, Specialty Care Clinics or call us at (469) 545-9983 to book your appointment if struggling with weight loss.