Obesity: Conventional and Prescription Medications

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Obesity: Conventional and Prescription Medications

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Prescription medications are not generally recommended for treating obesity, since their risks and side effects outweigh their benefits in most cases. In cases where extreme obesity causes life-threatening health effects, prescription appetite suppressant medications may be utilized. In these cases, the risks of extreme obesity may outweigh the risks of taking appetite suppressant medications. The most common prescription appetite suppressants are:

Diethylpropion (Brand names: Tenuate^®, Tenuate Dospan^®)
Fenfluramine (Brand name: Pondimin^® (withdrawn due to the risk of severe heart damage with extended use.))
Mazindol (Brand names: Sanorex^®, Mazanor^®)
Phendimetrazine (Brand names: Bontril^®, Plegine^®, Prelu-2^®, X-Trozine^®)
Phentermine (Brand names: Adipex-P^®, Fastin^®, Ionamin^®, Oby-trim^®)⁷

Bariatric surgery and gastric banding. These invasive procedures are becoming increasingly common to combat morbid obesity. Bariatric surgery involves stapling the stomach to reduce its size and creating a gastric bypass to connect the newly formed smaller stomach with the small intestine. With gastric banding, a ring is placed around the upper end of the stomach to reduce its size.

The risks of surgery include lifelong nutritional deficiencies, chronic malnutrition, weight regain, emotional and mental disorders (due to prior unresolved emotional ties to eating), and death (a risk inherent with any type of major surgery).

Weight loss pills and supplements. Many people who are frustrated with extra pounds try weight loss supplements to get a handle on their weight. Some of these supplements may be falsely advertised, or can even be extremely damaging to your health. In particular, consider the following:

Fen Phen and all supplements containing ephedra, also known as (Ma huang): Fen Phen and other ephedra supplements quickly became a popular weight loss supplement—until the FDA banned their use when ephedra was implicated in causing heart attacks and strokes. Interestingly, ma huang has been used in China for over 5000 years as a medicinal herb for treating an array of health conditions. However, reputable Chinese herbalists will probably be the first to tell you that ma huang was never intended for long-term use for weight loss. Ephedra-based weight loss supplements are not considered safe by the FDA because of the dangerous misuse of a very powerful ingredient.⁸
CortiSlim: The FDA has issued a warning to the manufacturer that it has seriously violated the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act by making unsubstantiated, false and misleading claims about its product.⁹

Note: Losing more than 2 pounds per week can be very detrimental to your health. It’s important to realize that obesity is a chronic condition that requires a multi-faceted, long-term solution, along with a lifelong plan for weight management. While weight loss supplements might help you lose weight in the short-term, they don’t address the underlying causes of obesity, and won’t resolve unhealthy lifestyle habits.

Additional Information about Obesity