What is overweight and obesity?
All the physicians and health-care providers use the BMI (Body Mass Index) to measure the weight of your body. It will help you identify overweight and obesity. The patient who has a BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight. Obesity is known as the patient having a BMI of 30 or greater. If you are overweight or obese, it will increase the risk of your health problems. Your physician may assess your lifestyle because of your weight.
Obesity is a chronic condition; one in three adults are affected by this in the U.S. Also, one in three adults faces overweight problems. If you encounter trouble with your weight, you have to follow some healthy diet plans and add them to your daily routine. It will help to lose weight and keep it off over the long term. All these changes in your lifestyle might not be good enough to help you lose weight or maintain weight loss. Your physician will prescribe you the necessary medications as part of your weight-control program.
How medical weights loss medication works?
Medication prescriptions to treat overweight and obesity work in different ways for a different patient. As an example, some medications will help you to feel less hungry or full sooner. On the other hand, medicines can make it harder for your body to absorb fat from your foods.
Who might benefit from weight-loss medications?
Weight-loss medications are the means that help those people who may have health problems related to overweight or obesity. Before prescribing any weight-loss medication, your doctor will consider these points:
- Benefits of weight loss
- Possible side effects of the medication process
- Your present health issues and other medications
- Patient family’s medical history
- The cost of the whole process
Most commonly, health care professionals use your BMI to decide weight-loss medicines. They may prescribe a medication to treat your overweight or obesity if you are an adult with
- BMI 30 or more
- BMI of 27 or more, and you face weight-related health problems, like high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes.
Weight-loss medication is not suitable for everyone with a high BMI. Some patients can lose weight with a lifestyle program that helps them change their behaviors and improve their meals and physical activity habits. Your lifestyle may also address other factors that affect weight gain, like eating triggers and not getting enough sleep.
Are weight-loss medications suitable for children or teenagers?
The U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration External link) has approved that most weight-loss medications programs are only for adults. The FDA approves the prescription medication orlistat NIH external link (Xenical) for children ages 12 and older.
Can medications change physical activity and healthy eating habits as a way to lose weight?
Medications do not replace physical activity or healthy eating habits as a way to lose weight. Consult with your doctor about the lifestyle treatment programs for weight management.
Benefits of prescription medications to lose weight:
Prescription medications help some people lose weight when it works with your behavior changes like eating and physical activity habits. On average, this helps patients who take prescription medications as part of a lifestyle program. They may lose their weight 3 to 9 percent of starting body weight faster than people in a lifestyle program who do not take medication. Research shows people taking prescription weight-loss pills lose 10 percent or more of their starting weight. Results may vary from person to person.
If you lose 5 to 10 percent of weight at the start, it will improve health by lowering blood sugar, blood pressure, and triglycerides. It will also improve some other health problems related to overweight and obesity, like joint pain or sleep apnea. Most of the weight loss process takes place during the first six months of starting the medication.
What to consider when using prescription medications?
Professional Experts are concerned that, sometimes, the prescription medications’ side effects may outweigh the benefits. That is why people don’t opt for a weight-loss pill only to improve the way they look. In past years, some weight-loss medications caused severe health problems.
The side effects of the medication may vary; it depends on how it works on your body. Most of the side effects are mild and most often improve.
Tips for Taking Weight-loss Medication
- Follow your doctor’s instructions
- Buy your medication from a pharmacy or web distributor which is approved by your doctor
- Adopt a healthy eating and physical activity program
- Know the side effects and disclaimer before taking any medication
- If you are not noticing any changes in your weight, consult with your doctor if you should stop taking your medication
- Discuss other drugs, like supplements and vitamins
- Avoid it during pregnancy or if you are planning to conceive
Also Read: Medical Weight Loss and It’s Benefits
