Single Drug Treatments for Effective
Weight Loss

There are quite a few drugs on the market created for the purposes of weight loss. These medications are somewhat useful for this purpose. It is estimated that these drugs can help obese individuals lose an average of between 5 and 22 pounds more than individuals who do not use these medications.

Everyone is different, so one person may react quite differently to a weight loss medication than another. There are patients suffering from obesity that may lose in excess of 10 percent of their original weight. This amount of weight loss can potentially lower risks of diabetes and high blood pressure, which are both related to obesity. Within six months of using a weight loss drug, the maximum results should be achieved.

At that point, weight becomes consistent or it may even go up. There is research that suggests that one may even gain weight during this period of treatment. Also, if you are using a weight loss drug and you do not lose a minimum of 4 pounds over a period of 4 weeks, it is likely the medication is not going to be useful for you. The medications sibutramine and orlistat have been used in studies for up to 2 years in some individuals. The average maximum length of use for these drugs is one year or less.

There are certain antidepressants that have been researched as potential weight loss drugs that suppress the appetite. This type of use is called off-label, which means the drug is being used for something other than its original intention. Research has shown that for some patients, weight loss has occurred for as long as 6 months while on the medication. However, other studies have shown that weight gain can also occur following the weight loss while on antidepressants.

Medications that are in the amphetamine class and those related to amphetamines are normally not used for obesity treatment because they have a high risk of addiction, abuse and side effects. One example would be the combined drug treatment known as fen phen, which was a mixture of fenfluramine and phentermine. This medicine was discovered to carry dangerous risks, some life threatening. There is unsubstantial information about combination drugs for reducing obesity, both prescription and herbal formulations.

Therefore, until more research is conducted and recommendations are released by the FDA, combination drug use for the purpose of weight loss should not be used other than during research studies. There is simply not enough information to use weight loss combination medications safely.