5 Things You Need to Know About Prescription Weight Loss Medicine

1. Not for Lightweights

Prescription weight loss medications aren't for people who just have a few pounds to lose or who want to look better in a pair of jeans. They are specifically designed for people who can't seem to lose weight through diet and exercise alone and are having medical complications because of the excess weight. Before being prescribed weight loss medications, a doctor will do a consultation and may consider you a candidate if your BMI is higher than 30, other weight loss methods haven't worked for you or your BMI is higher than 27 and you're experiencing health problems because of the extra weight.

2. Suppress and Reduce for Weight Loss

The FDA has approved two diet medications, Sibutramine (Meridia) and Orlistat (Xenical) for long-term weight loss. Diet Pills work in several ways. One way is to reduce the amount of fat the body absorbs. Xenical is an example of this. Xenical prevents the enzyme that breaks down the fat in your body, Lipase, from breaking down fat in your digestive tract. Since your body doesn't absorb this fat, you take in fewer calories, and this results in weight loss. Other weight loss drugs work by suppressing your appetite, causing you to eat less often and in turn, ingesting fewer calories. Meridia is an appetite suppressant.

3. It's Not a Quickie Solution

Most diet pills provide minimal amounts of weight loss. In a year's time using most of these medications, you can expect to lose 5 to 10 percent of your body weight. However, to even get this amount of success, you will have to follow a low fat, low calorie diet combined with regular exercise along with taking your prescription weight loss medicine. While the weight loss is minimal the loss of the extra weight can still reduce your blood pressure, Insulin levels and blood glucose levels.

4. Ill Effects Not Uncommon

Like most prescriptions, weight loss medicine tends to have side effects, some of which are unpleasant. Although these side effects may vary from one drug to the next, some common ones include excessive gas with an oily discharge, more frequent bowel movements, hard to control bowel movements including lose stools or diarrhea, vomiting, constipation and insomnia.

5. A Not So Permanent Fix

Once you start taking diet pills, you will likely have to keep taking them indefinitely. You are likely to gain back whatever weight you lost while taking prescription weight loss medicines once you stop taking the pills. This leads some to continue taking the pills, even after they should stop. These drugs, however, were only meant for short-term use and there aren't any studies showing what side effects may occur when taking weight loss pill indefinitely.