Three Prescription Medications For Weight Loss

The classic way to lose weight is, and always has been, to eat less and exercise more. However, this is a lot harder than it may initially sound. Cravings, mental health struggles, and misinformation can all make losing weight via diet and exercise alone quite the challenge. When patients struggle to lose weight with diet and exercise, doctors may prescribe a medication to help. Here are three of the most common prescription medications for weight loss.

Orlistat

Orlistat is a medication that works by preventing your body from absorbing most of the fat in your food. This can help you lose weight in two ways. First of all, it deters patients from eating foods that contain too much fat. This is because if they do eat a lot of fat, the medication tends to cause diarrhea and loose stools. Second of all, orlistat directly helps weight loss by preventing your body from taking in the calories from fatty foods you eat.

Orlistat can be a good weight-loss solution for anyone willing to follow a low-fat diet. However, it is not a reasonable accompaniment to the keto diet since the keto diet is high in fat. Orlistat does also decrease your absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, so you should only take it for a few weeks at a time,

Saxenda

Saxenda is a drug that prompts your pancreas to release more insulin and less glucagon. This causes you to feel full, so you are less likely to overeat. Saxenda has been around for many years as a treatment for diabetes, but it has gained popularity as a weight-loss drug more recently. It is a good choice for those who struggle with overeating, in particular.

Saxenda can cause low blood pressure, nausea, and other side effects, so your doctor will want to monitor you closely while you're taking this medication.

Naltrexone HCl and Bupropion

These are actually two medications, but they are given together for weight-loss assistance. Bupropion helps treat depression, and naltrexone HCl helps fight the more addictive qualities of eating. If you have ever been diagnosed with food addiction or think you may have a food addiction, this may be a good weight-loss medication for you to take. You'll know within a few weeks whether it will work for you, and if it does not work, your doctor will take you off of it. This is because for patients who do not respond to these medications, there can be side effects like insomnia and depression.

To learn more about these prescriptions for weight loss, talk to your doctor. Not everyone needs medications to lose weight, but if you do, there is no shame in that.

Contact a health professional to learn more about prescription weight loss solutions.