You’ve tried and tried to lose weight, yet the needle on the scale isn’t budging or, when it does, it bounces right back up again. You’ve looked at weight loss surgery, but perhaps you’re not terribly keen on the idea or you have a condition that precludes surgery. Now it’s time to explore other options.
In this month’s blog post, our team here at Advanced Surgeons, takes a closer look at the role that certain weight loss medications can play in helping you to get to a healthier weight. We offer three such medications at our practice, and we review them here.
Medications aren’t a magic bullet
Before we get into descriptions of weight loss medications, we want to underscore a very important point: These medications should be considered as dietary aids and not as magic bullets.
To effectively, and safely, lose weight, you should combine these medications with dietary changes and a solid exercise regimen.
Not only does this combination help you lose weight more quickly, it delivers innumerable health benefits as you boost your overall wellness through better diet and exercise.
How weight loss medications work
Now that you understand that weight loss medications are tools to help give you a leg up in your weight loss efforts, let’s take a look at the three medications we offer.
Liraglutide
This medication was originally designed to control blood sugar levels in adults and children over the age of 10 with Type 2 diabetes.
With liraglutide, we’re able to stimulate your production of insulin, which not only regulates the levels of glucose in your system; it can also help you feel fuller after meals.
Liraglutide comes in an injectable format, and you use special pens that allow you to administer the drug on your own.
To give you an idea of its efficacy, one study found that patients using liraglutide were able to achieve at least 5-10% weight loss compared to those who did not use the medication.
Naltrexone and bupropion
The combination of ingredients in this medication — naltrexone and bupropion — work together to control your appetite and to reduce your food cravings. To accomplish this, naltrexone acts as an opioid antagonist, while bupropion acts as a dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.
What this means is that the medication works on the areas of your brain that control appetite and cravings to help you manage your eating.
Phentermine
The final weight loss medication on our list is phentermine, which is an amphetamine-like compound that suppresses your appetite. Phentermine controls your hunger levels and works by making you feel full for longer so you avoid snacking.
Are weight loss medications right for you?
Before we prescribe any weight loss medications, we first perform a full evaluation to make sure that they don’t pose any problems for your health. For example, if you have heart issues, a drug like phentermine could be dangerous.
If we find that your health allows for weight loss medications, we start slowly and monitor you closely for any side effects. Pay close attention to any changes in your health that may occur when you take the medications and report them to us promptly.
If all goes well, these medications can play a key role in giving you the boost you need to lose meaningful weight, allowing you to get to your goals more quickly and easily.
If you want to explore whether weight loss medications are right for you, please contact one of our offices in Valhalla, Carmel, or Poughkeepsie, New York, to schedule a consultation.
