Prescription Weight Loss Drugs: What Are Your Goals?

The decision to use weight loss drugs for obesity should be one made together with your physician. Discussing the treatment is very crucial to your safety and success.

The goal of any weight loss plan should be the overall improvement of health and prevention of obesity related disease. Those who are morbidly obese should not aim too high, for example seek to reach their perfect weight. More realistic goals would be to expect a loss of up to 10 percent of beginning weight. This can be enough to improve overall wellness and reduce disease risk. Weight loss drugs should never be used just to approve the appearance of the body.

The use of weight loss drugs should only be undertaken when combined with dietary counseling and modification, behavioral counseling and regular exercise. Your doctor needs to see you on a regular basis to track your progress on the medication and keep tabs on your health. In the case of side effects, your doctor should be notified right away. While many side effects of weight loss medications out today are mild to moderate and often subside with use, others are more serious and require immediate medical attention.

For certain obese individuals, long term use of prescription drugs for weight loss may be recommended. The bad news is that there is insufficient research on the use of these drugs over a prolonged period of time. There just aren’t enough studies to say whether or not use of these medicines for longer than 2 years is recommended. Your doctor can evaluate your individual health situation and together you can decide if weight loss medication is the right thing for you, and if so, how long you should take it.