No drug cures obesity. No pill, potion, cream, vitamin concoction, hormone, or nutritional/herbal supplement cures obesity. Advertisements that claim to do so are simply attempts to separate you from your money. Don’t be fooled. Nevertheless, there are a few drugs that promote modest degrees of weight loss, on the order of five or 10 pounds on average. Some individuals may lose 20 or 30 pounds while others lose none or actually gain. Drugs can help people achieve the 5 to 10 percent loss of body weight that leads to improvement in hypertension, lipid disorders, elevated glucose levels, and other health-related complications of obesity. Ten percent body weight loss in a 300-pounder takes him down to 270 pounds. The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute guidelines on management of obesity suggest the following candidates for drug therapy: 1) all adults with a BMI of 30 or greater 2) all adults with a BMI of 27 or higher who also have concomitant obesity-related diseases or risk factors, such as coronary artery disease, lipid abnormalities, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, or obstructive sleep apnea.
Drug therapy by itself doesn’t work. Users still have to make major changes in diet and lifestyle. When the drugs are stopped, regaining weight is a problem. The cost of some drugs may be an issue: sibutramine and orlistat may set you back over $3 to $5 per day in 2007. Call a pharmacy for your local current price, which may not be covered by health insurance. Adverse drug effects, both known and unknown, are also a concern. Since 1997, five drugs have been removed from markets around the world due to safety or effectiveness considerations: phenylpropa-nolamine HCl (e.g., the older, not current, Dexatrim), dexfenfluramine HCL (e.g., Redux), fenfluramine HCl (Pondimin), diethylpropion HCl (Tenuate), and phentermine HCl (e.g., Ionamin). Some of these may still be available in the United States. Heart valve problems and pulmonary hypertension were particular safety concerns. It is unknown whether drug therapy reduces the morbidity and mortality of obesity over the long run. Clearly, drugs are no panacea. Available weight-loss drug classes are: 1) appetite suppressants 2) lipase inhibitors 3) over-the-counter remedies. [Continued....]
All matters regarding your health require supervision by a personal physician or other appropriate health professional familiar with your current health status. Always consult your personal physician before making any dietary or exercise changes.