Obesity can be regarded as a type of medical disease that can be sometimes treated with drugs just like other major medical diseases like hypertension and diabetes.
However, you have to note that the use of such prescription drugs alone is usually not sufficient enough to treat obesity and excessive weight gain. Also, like other drugs, fat loss drugs have potential side effects.
Types of weight loss medication for long term control of fat loss
Until very recently, most of the FDA approved drugs for weight loss were only approved for short term control of weight loss, but recently and for the first time in 13 years, the FDA approved two new drugs for the long term management of weight loss. These two drugs are called Belviq and Qsymia.
According to the FDA, these two drugs can be used as lifelong therapies for people who respond to and tolerate them. It is also good to note that these drugs are meant to be used in conjunction with a balanced diet and exercises for them to be really effective.
What are the criteria for prescribing these drugs?
For you to make use of any of these two drugs you have to satisfy one of these two criteria:
1-You must be at least 18 years old with a minimum body mass index (BMI) of 30.
2-You must be at least 18 years old with a minimum body mass index (BMI) of 27 coupled with any obesity related disease like diabetes or hypertension.
How do you use these drugs?
A-Belviq
Belviq is actually a trade name for the drug Lorcaserin. It is available in the form of a 10 mg tablet which can be taken twice in a day; this drug acts by suppressing the hunger centre in the brain.
Note however that you should stop the use of Belviq if you fail to lose at least 50% of your weight after 12 weeks of therapy; this means that continued treatment with this drug will not give you any appreciable weight loss.
Potential side effects of Belviq
-Cardiovascular diseases like hypertension and swelling of the peripheral parts of the body.
-Gastrointestinal side effects like nausea, constipation, dry mouth, vomiting, toothache and decreased appetite.
-Urinary tract infection
-Low white blood cell count
-Low level of haemoglobin(anaemia)
-Hypoglycaemia and worsening of diabetes symptoms
-Back pain and muscle spasms
-Fatigue, headache and dizziness
-Anxiety, insomnia, stress, depression and reduced mental concentration
B-Qysmia
Qysmia is actually a combination of two FDA approved drugs called Phentermine and Topiramate. The drug Phentermine is used to suppress appetite while the drug Topiramate is used to treat epilepsy and migraine.
Qysmia is taken once a day with most patients started on the lowest dose of 3.75 mg of Phentermine combined with 23 mg of Topiramate. After some time the dose is then increased to the recommended dose of 7.5 mg of Phentermine combined with 46 mg of Topiramate; in some few cases the dose may be increased to the maximum dose of 15 mg of Phentermine combined with 92 mg of Topiramate.
If you do not lose up to 3% of your body weight after 12 weeks of using this drug, you should either discontinue the drug, or you can increase your dose to the maximum daily dose for an additional 12 weeks after which if you fail to lose up to 5% of your body weight, you should discontinue its use gradually.
Potential side effects of Qysmia
-Abnormal sensation in the arms and legs
-Dizziness
-Insomnia
-Constipation
-Dry mouth
It is also good to note that these two drugs are not safe to use during pregnancy
Article Source
No comments:
Post a Comment