Prescription Weight Loss Drugs
Obesity often requires long-term treatment to promote and sustain weight loss. As in other chronic conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, use of prescription drugs may be appropriate for some people. While most side effects of prescription weight loss drugs are mild, serious complications have been reported. More on that below.
Keep in mind that these drugs are not a cure-all for obesity. The use of weight loss drugs should be combined with physical activity and improved diet to lose and maintain weight successfully over the long term.
Do I Need a Prescription Weight Loss Drug?
Using prescription weight loss drugs to treat obesity should be used as an option for the following individuals:
- People with a body mass index(BMI) of 30 and above with no obesity-related conditions.
- A person with a BMI of 27 and above with obesity-related conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
Types of Prescription Weight Loss Drugs
Currently, most available weight loss drugs approved by the FDA are for short-term use, meaning a few weeks or months.
Most available weight-loss medications are "appetite suppressants." These drugs generally come in the form of tablets or extended-release capsules (pills that release medication over a long period of time). Appetite suppressants can be obtained by a doctor's prescription or purchased over the counter. One common appetite suppressant is Meridia.
In the mid-1990s, doctors also prescribed the popular appetite suppressant Redux or the combination of phentermine and fenfluramine, called "phen-fen." However, fenfluramine (Pondimin) and Redux were withdrawn from the market in 1997 because they caused damage to heart valves. Phentermine is still available by prescription. Taking phentermine alone has not been associated with the adverse health effects of the phen-fen combination.
Another type of prescription weight loss drug is a fat absorption inhibitor. Xenical is the only example of this type of treatment approved for use in the U.S. Xenical works by blocking about 30% of dietary fat from being absorbed. Xenical is now sold over-the-counter as Alli.
Meridia and Xenical are the only weight loss drugs approved for longer-term use in significantly obese people, although the safety and effectiveness have not been established for use beyond two years.
Newer drugs are being studied as potential treatments for obesity, some of which are showing promise and may be available in the near future.
How Do Appetite Suppressants Cause Weight Loss?
Appetite suppressants promote weight loss by tricking the body into believing that it is not hungry or that it is full. They decrease appetite by increasing serotonin or catecholamine -- two brain chemicals that affect mood and appetite.
How Do Fat Absorption Inhibitors Cause Weight Loss?
Fat absorption inhibitors work by preventing your body from breaking down and absorbing fat eaten with your meals. This unabsorbed fat is eliminated in bowel movements.
WebMD Medical Reference
Health & Diet Guide
VIVELLE-DOT (estradiol transdermal system) IS AVAILABLE BY PRESCRIPTION ONLY.
INDICATION
Vivelle-Dot is used after menopause to: reduce moderate to severe hot flashes; treat moderate to severe dryness, itching and burning in or around the vagina; help reduce your chances of getting osteoporosis (thin weak bones); and treat certain conditions in which a young woman's ovaries do not produce enough estrogens naturally. Vivelle-Dot 0.025 mg/day is only used to prevent osteoporosis from menopause. If you use Vivelle-Dot only to treat your dryness, itching, and burning in and around your vagina or if you use Vivelle-Dot only to prevent osteoporosis from menopause, talk with your healthcare professional about whether a different treatment or medicine without estrogens might be better for you.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Estrogens increase the chances of getting cancer of the uterus (womb). Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are taking estrogens. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb).
Do not use estrogens with or without progestins to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. Using estrogens with or without progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots. Using estrogens with progestins may increase your risk of dementia (decline in memory and thinking skills).
Vivelle-Dot should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding; currently have or have had certain cancers, including cancer of the breast or uterus; had a stroke or heart attack in the recent past (for example, in the past year); currently have or have had blood clots; currently have or have had liver problems; or think you may be, or know that you are, pregnant.
The most common side effects that may occur with Vivelle-Dot are headache, breast tenderness, and back pain.
You and your healthcare professional should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with Vivelle-Dot.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Full Prescribing Information for Vivelle-Dot.
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