Do Prescription Weight Loss Pills Really Work?
Maintaining the correct weight is important to lead a healthy lifestyle. Nowadays, people try to lose weight either to look good or due to some underlying health reasons. To achieve their weight-loss goals, some people regularly exercise and maintain a proper diet plan, whereas some people prefer using prescription weight loss pills. There is nothing wrong with using prescription weight loss pills. Usually, people take these pills when they are unable to lose weight through exercise and a balanced diet because of some health conditions.
Prescription weight loss pills can be the quickest way to lose weight. But before taking these pills people need to understand that weight loss pills have their advantages and disadvantages and are used in addition to physical fitness activities and a balanced diet.
Who can use Weight loss Pills?
Most doctors prescribe these pills if a patient didn’t achieve the desired weight even after physical fitness activities and a balanced diet and if the following criteria is met:
- Your Body Mass Index (BMI) is of 30 or more.
- Your BMI is 27 or more and there are medical conditions related to obesity including diabetes or high blood pressure.
Before prescribing weight loss pills to a person, doctors will also ask about their past or present health conditions. Additionally, doctors will also inform you about the advantages and disadvantages of weight loss pills.
These weight loss pills are not for everyone. Pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and women who are trying to conceive should not use weight loss pills. These drugs can be taken if a person is 18 or above. However, weight loss pills can also be prescribed to children above 6 years, if they have a rare health condition that makes them overweight.
How do prescription weight loss pills work?
Weight loss pills work differently. Some pills work as appetite suppressants, which means these pills enable the change in the eating pattern or decrease food intake. While some pills decrease the body’s ability to absorb consumed fat.
A person who takes weight loss medicines for 12 weeks or more tends to show better results. When a person combines weight loss drugs with their daily diet and physical activities, it shows better results which lifestyle change alone can’t show. That can imply a person can lose between 3% to 7% weight with lifestyle change alone. This may look like an adequate amount of weight loss. However, losing between 5% and 10% weight will give more health benefits such as lowering blood pressure, blood sugar and hypertension.
Weight Loss Pills and Healthy Lifestyle
This medication does not replace your healthy eating pattern and regular physical activities. Weight loss drugs work best when combined with physical fitness activities and a balanced diet.
Benefits of Weight Loss Pills
When a person includes weight loss pills with their diet and physical activities, it helps in losing extra weight, as well as maintaining weight. People who consume weight loss drugs with their proper diet and physical activities have lost between 3% and 12% of their initial body weight.
A person losing 5% to 10% of their body weight helps in improving their health by lowering blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Weight loss can also help in reducing the risk of other health problems like joint pain, sleep problems or apnea. Remember that weight loss usually starts around 6 weeks after initial medication.
Possible Side Effects of weight loss pills
Weight loss pills can be effective but people can experience mild side effects like nausea, constipation, or diarrhea. These side effects may usually not last for a long time. It is very important to discuss other weight-loss treatment options with your doctor before consuming any weight loss drugs.
Weight Regain After discontinuing medication
Many people gain back the weight which they lost during their medication process due to cutting off from their weight loss pills. That’s why it is very important to maintain healthy eating habits and increase physical activities to avoid weight gain & a repeat of the entire cycle.
How long do Weight loss drugs last?
The period of consumption of weight loss drugs depends on whether the drugs help you to lose any weight or not, and if you have experienced any side effects.
If you have lost enough weight to improve your health and have not experienced any serious side effects, the doctor can recommend you continue taking the weight loss drug indefinitely. However, if a person does not lose at least 5% of weight after three to six months on a drug’s full dose, the doctor may advise you to stop consuming it. The doctor can change the treatment, change the drugs and may advise you to try a different eating pattern and physical activities.
Diabetic medications that Help With Weight Loss
For people with diabetes, the doctor will prescribe diabetes medication for weight loss.
- Metformin: The only generic drug that may lead to weight loss is metformin. Losing weight with metformin is very low and maybe 1 to 2%. Maybe it is not much, but it is better than gaining weight with sulfonylureas or insulin.
- GLP-1 agonist agents: GLP-1 agonist agents are Ozempic, Rybelsus, Trulicity, Bydureon or Victoza. These medicines directly affect the hypothalamus at the “appetite centre.” As a result, cravings become less and half the size of the portion may make you feel full.
- SGLT2 inhibitors: SGLT2 inhibitors are Jardiance, Invokana, Farxiga, Steglatro. Usually, the kidney can not excrete blood sugar until blood sugar levels exceed 220 mg/dL. Therefore, patients with highly uncontrolled diabetes lose weight without any medicines, which is not a healthy way to lose weight. With these medicines, the patient can excrete excessive glucose between 100-200 mg/dL.
Herbs that help in weight loss:
- White Mulberry Leaf Extract: A natural substance found in White Mulberry Leaf Extract helps in weight loss. It activates brown adipose tissue (BAT), or brown fat, which leads to increased energy consumption, better glucose and diabetes control. It helps in weight loss by improving overall insulin resistance.
- Green Tea Extract: Green tea extract is one of the healthiest herbs. It contains antioxidants, catechins, which are also potent antioxidants. These catechins help in boosting metabolism, increasing fat-burning hormones, like norepinephrine (noradrenaline). Catechins decrease the amount of the enzyme that breaks down the norepinephrine hormone. The higher amount of norepinephrine, the more fat breakdown.
- Banaba Extract or Corosolic Acid: Banaba reduces blood sugar levels while also helping weight loss. Banaba decreases insulin resistance to help you lose weight.
Choosing the Best Weight Reduction Prescription Drugs
Before choosing any weight-loss drugs, you should talk to a doctor to discuss your past medical conditions, and identify which weight loss drug is suitable for you.
Conclusion
If you want to lose weight, weight loss drugs can help you in achieving your desired weight. Apart from the benefits of weight loss medication, you should also consider the side effects and other factors related to the weight loss drugs. While consuming weight-loss drugs, you should not neglect your healthy lifestyle. Weight loss drugs are consumed in addition to your healthy diet and regular exercise. Never self medicate. Always consult a qualified & registered doctor.
