Prescription Weight-Loss Medicines

For the moderately obese to obese, prescription weight loss pills have been an option to help lose weight. Since the late 1930’s, doctors have been prescribing them to help people effectively slim down and get healthier. Despite their name, they aren’t a fat shrinking pill. They work by preventing appetite and therefore keep obese patients from eating too much and becoming fatter.

A Tarnished Reputation

In the past twenty years, prescription weight loss pills have been under attack.  One of the reasons is because of their side effects. Various prescription pills have been linked to heart problems such as heart attack and heart valve damage. Others have been said to cause stroke. The most recent pill, Qsymia raises questions of birth defects.If the side effects weren’t enough of a problem, the fact that they do not work quickly made people question their effectiveness. Since they are designed to curb appetite rather than burn fat, patients who used them became discouraged when they didn’t immediately become skinnier.

Who They Are Intended For

Prescription pills are designed for obese people who need to lose weight for medical reasons. These pills are supposed to work with other weight loss methods, such as diet and exercise. Because all they do is suppress appetite, a patient may have to wait until the body begins to burn the excess fat to see any results.What I’m saying is, they aren’t exactly a get thin quickly option- what they are, is a nice weight loss accelerator.Because of the side effects and nature of weight loss pills, many health officials encourage patients to use them as a last option. Medical professionals who realize the value of the pills remind patients that the diseases that occur from obesity are far worse than any side effects the pills might cause.

How We View Weight Loss Pills Today

When a new drug is released, the amount of prescriptions filled is generally a good way to gauge how the public feels about it. This is because, not only do the doctors writing the prescriptions have a choice whether or not to recommend them; the patients also have a choice whether or not to fill them.Based on the results of the newly released weight loss drug, Qsymia, doctors and patients are not overly excited to take pills. This is especially surprising given the amount of obese people in the World, and their medical need to lose weight. On top of that, the experts have not entirely figured out why either.

So Where Does That Leave Us?

Well, as a society we still need to lose the weight, and for some of us we will need a little help. If you simply cannot lose weight even though you follow the diet and do all the exercises the doctor told you to, you may need weight loss pills.