The Role of Medications in Successful Weight LossAccording to the CDC, 74% of Americans are overweight … of whom 42% qualify as obese.
In close parallel, Milwaukee county registers an adult population … 69% overweight and 30% obese.
Clearly, many Americans are seeking or are urged to seek professional help to develop remedial regimens to reverse these statistics and enhance their quality of life.
The appropriate application of prescription medications is one leg of the three-legged stool of support to successful, sustained weight loss. Combined with exercise and dietary guidance, the coordinated use of weight loss medications enhances the likelihood of victory in pursuit of a healthier and happier life. What follows are those medications that we, at Milwaukee Medical Weight Loss & Medispa have found to be highly effective when specifically paired with our Greater Milwaukee clients’ unique circumstances.
Phentermine is an FDA approved prescription medication that helps suppress the appetite. It is a stimulant and appetite suppressant. It is a symphathomimetic amine. Drugs of this class used in obesity are commonly known as “anorectics” or “anorexigenics.” After a dosage, phentermine is absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract and reaches peak concentration in the blood in three to 4.4 hours. It has a half-life of about 25 hours, which is the time it takes for half of the dosage to be metabolized by the liver or excreted unchanged in the urine. In 1959, phentermine first received approval from the FDA as an appetite-suppressing drug. Eventually a hydrocholoride salt and a resin form became available. The primary mechanism of phentermine’s action in treating obesity is the reduction of hunger perception, which is a cognitive process mediated primarily through the hypothalamus. Outside the brain, phentermine releases norephinephrine and epinephrine-also known as noradrenaline and adrenaline respectively-causing fat cells to break down stored fat as well. When used in conjunction with diet, exercise and food behavioral counseling, Phentermine will help you lose weight while you learn new ways to eat and exercise. Phentermine will help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Qsymia® is a combination of two FDA-approved drugs, phentermine and topiramate, in an extended-release formulation. Phentermine is indicated for short-term weight loss in overweight or obese adults who are exercising and eating a reduced-calorie diet. Topiramate is indicated to treat certain types of seizures in people who have epilepsy and to prevent migraine headaches. It also can be used in weight loss since it tends to suppress the appetite.
Xenical® is a lipase inhibitor FDA approved for obesity management that inhibits the absorption of dietary fat. Orlistat works by inhibiting gastric and pancreatic lipases, the enzymes that break down triglycerides in the intestine. When lipase activity is blocked, triglycerides from the diet are not hydrolyzed into absorbable free fatty acids, and instead are excreted unchanged. At the standard prescription dose of 120mg three times daily before meals, Orlistat prevents approximately 30% of dietary fat from being absorbed.
Phendimetrazine is a short-term supplement to your diet and exercise plan, in the treatment of obesity. It is a sympathomimetic amine, which is similar to an amphetamine. Phendimetrazine activates the alpha-adrenergic system to induce an appetite suppressive and metabolic increase effect. The drug also acts as a norephinephrine-dopamine releasing agent (NDRA). It reaches a peak plasma level after ingestion within 1 to 3 hours, and is completely absorbed in 4 to 6 hours. It has a half-life of 19-24 hours. Phendimetrazine has been FDA approved for weight loss since 1976.
Contrave is a combination of naltrexone, an opoid antagonist, and buproprion, an inhibitor of the neuronal reuptake of dopamine and norephinphrine. Nonclinical studies suggest that naltrexone and buproprion have effects on two separate areas of the brain involved in the regulation of food intake: the hypothalamus (appetite regulation center) and the mesolimbic dopamine circuit (reward system) The exact neurochemical effects of Contrave leading to weight loss are not fully understood. It has been FDA approved for weight loss when used in combination with diet and exercise.
Feel free to give our weight loss center a call to learn more about our prescription weight loss medications and programs.
414-616-3535
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