Weight Loss Options To Consider
For a lot of people, sticking to a healthy diet regimen and exercising regularly can work wonders. But for many other people, medical intervention may be necessary to help them on their journey to weight loss.
There are many types of medical weight loss methods that people can opt for. Some prefer diet pills or surgeries since they don't require significant lifestyle changes. Others are designed for an overall change in lifestyle, which can be healthier in the long run.
This article is designed to provide you with information on the more popular weight loss techniques and their advantages and disadvantages.
Table of Contents
Weight Loss Options To Consider
Prescription Medicine
The results from prescription medicine usually depend on the person and the drug they are taking. For the best results, you have to follow an exercise program and diet regimen. This can lead to up to 10% of body weight loss.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several weight loss medications that you can take to speed up the weight loss process.
Contrave
Contrave was introduced to the market by Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. after clinical trials for the weight loss drug were deemed successful. The drug was found to reduce the weight of people by 8% as compared to people taking a placebo in a one-year study. The way Contrave works is that it combines two different drugs: one for depression and smoking and another for opiate and alcohol addiction. This results in the suppression of the body’s cravings for food.
The drugs have been approved by the FDA and the European Union and are commonly available in pharmacies.
Lorcaserin
Lorcaserin is an appetite suppressant that can help you lose at least 5% of your body weight. Most doctors recommend this drug for only 12 weeks. This is because if it doesn’t work for you during that time, it may not work for you at all. It can cause some side effects like fatigue, nausea, dry mouth, headaches, and dizziness.
Orlistat
Orlistat was approved by the FDA in 1999 as a prescription drug Xenical for weight loss. It is also sold as an over the counter medication by the name of Alli. Xenical is taken three times a day, and Alli is taking with any meals that contain fat, up to three times a day.
This drug lowers the amount of fat that your body absorbs by 30%. This means that your body ends up taking in fewer calories. This drug has worked wonders for many people, but it can also cause some digestive problems such as diarrhea, oily stool, gas, or stomach pain. It can also block the absorption of vitamins, which is why many people supplement the drug with multivitamins. It requires changes in a person’s diet for the best results.
Phentermine and Topiramate
Qsymia combines an anti-seizure and an appetite suppressant. Phentermine is usually prescribed for short term use, and you have to pair it with topiramate for long term use. If you haven’t lost around 5% of weight during the first 12 weeks of use, this product may never work for you. Common side effects can include:
- Taste Changes
- Dry Mouth
- Dizziness
- Anxiety
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Incontinence
- Increase in Heart Rate
- Insomnia
- Numbness or Tingling in the Hands and Feet
Injections
There are some injections that have lipotropic effects. Some ingredients in these shots include vitamins, amino acids, phentermine, MIC, and L-carnitine. The shots are administered in any area containing fatty tissues such as the arms, thighs, buttocks, and abdomen.
Such injections are often administered in weight loss clinics and medical spas. They are supplemented with diet and exercise plans for the best results. It is important to check the credentials of any weight loss clinic or medical spa before choosing to go to one, since some weight loss clinics may not have doctors on board.
These injections are usually administered weekly over a period of a few weeks. In some cases, doctors may recommend B-12 shots around 2 times a week for fat metabolism and energy. Vitamin shots don't have any side effects since the body passes the excess amounts through urine.
Glucagon and GLP-1 Peptide
Glucagon and GLP-1 Peptide are weekly injections that combine two drugs to target a person’s metabolism and appetite. The injections speed up the metabolism and suppress appetite. The sped-up metabolism means that the breakdown of food is quicker. Together, they work well to target obesity and fat. FDA recently approved semaglutide weight loss injection to help with obesity.
Bariatric Surgery
Bariatric surgery is also known as metabolic surgery because it can help with weight loss, improve diabetes and other lipid disorders, such as high cholesterol. This type of surgery is mostly used for patients who are significantly overweight and have problems that come from obesity, such as sleep apnea and type-2 diabetes.
Hundreds of thousands of people get these surgeries in America alone. They are really helpful for overweight patients who have trouble exercising because of their weight or have medical issues due to their weight. With effective lifestyles changes, these surgeries can definitely help many people.
People who are above a body mass index of 35 are considered for the procedure.
Liposuction
When people think of liposuction, they often think of large amounts of fat that are sucked out of the body. This is not the way liposuction works since the most a patient can loose from it is 10-12 pounds. It is designed to tone a certain area by removing some fat.
It has been on the decline recently since people can often get the same results with a combination of less invasive procedures and lifestyle changes. Liposuction is mainly a cosmetic procedure used to tone the body as much as a patient likes but doesn’t lead to any significant weight loss.
There are more and more medical weight loss regimens coming about. However, it is important to do proper research on each procedure before you decide to follow any treatment plan. It is also better to incorporate some lifestyle changes so that any weight loss happens in a healthy way.
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