Medication for Weight Loss
Uncategorized • May 3, 2021
Medication for Weight Loss
In 2009, the American Medical Association designated Obesity as a DISEASE, not an issue of poor will power. That being said, why are so many people who struggle with their weight not using medication for weight loss??
When a patient has high blood pressure, depression or a sinus infection, we work on lifestyle modifications (lower salt in the diet, more exercise, nasal saline, etc.) to help with their medical issues, but we usually use medications also.
About 70% of Americans have a BMI over 25 putting them in either the overweight or obese category, but only about 2% of these patients are given medication to support weight loss.
When people are overweight or obese, they usually have abnormal physiology that makes them feel MORE hungry and LESS full. This is a true medical fact, not just an excuse for why people who are overweight struggle to lose weight.
Additionally, when overweight people lose weight without the help of medication, they become extremely hungry after the successful weight loss and tend to put weight back on.
How can we break this vicious cycle?
The 7 FDA-approved medications help break this cycle of weight loss and weight gain. They help to suppress abnormal appetite and hunger cues and control food cravings. They also help to “trick” your physiology into knowing that it’s OK to lose weight; without the help of medication, your physiology assumes that you are losing weight because you don’t have access to food (like in the days when we were hunters and gatherers). With medication for weight loss you can more easily lose weight without hunger, and you won’t have the tendency to put weight back on.
The benefit of working with a doctor who specializes in Obesity Medicine is that they know how to use these FDA-approved medications well; how to maximize effectiveness and minimize side effects. We are also skilled in combining medication for even better appetite control and weight loss.
Don’t struggle on your own when there are doctors out there who are trained to help.
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