Weight Loss Medications
Regular check-ins and other monitoring of progress with your care team are key to achieving successful weight loss goals.
What if I have made lifestyle changes and I’m still not losing weight?
Your doctor or pharmacist may determine that in addition to addressing nutrition, physical activity, and behavioral changes, you may benefit from medications, medical devices, or bariatric (weight loss) surgery to manage your obesity.
Most medications for the management of weight loss must be prescribed by your doctor. Before you begin to take any medication for weight loss, be sure to ask your doctor or pharmacist about any side effects that may occur. Tell them if you are pregnant, planning to get pregnant, or are breastfeeding.
Medications for weight loss include:
- Orlistat decreases the absorption of fat from food.
- Lorcaserin affects a specific serotonin receptor in the appetite center of the brain.
- Phentermine-topiramate ER – Each of these medications has been used to promote weight loss, but together can cause greater weight loss at lower doses.
- Naltrexone-bupropion SR – Each of these medications have been used to promote weight loss, but when used together can cause greater weight loss.
- Liraglutide injection and Semaglutide injection were originally approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. These medications affect the appetite center of the brain.
A lower dose of the prescription medication, Orlistat, is available without a prescription. Most over-the-counter (OTC) medications and herbal supplements (including those you purchase online) do not have proven safety and effectiveness for weight loss. Always check with your pharmacist before considering one of these products.
For people with significant obesity and at least one obesity-related medical condition, a doctor may recommend surgery or the use of a medical device to aid in weight loss. Bariatric surgery for weight loss reduces the space in your stomach to restrict food intake. Bypass surgery limits the absorption of food to decrease calorie intake. A medical device, the gastric balloon, can be inserted into the stomach to restrict food intake.
Summary
From lifestyle changes to medications or even surgery, there are many options available to help you lose weight. Your pharmacist is a medication expert who can provide information about prescription and OTC weight loss products and make recommendations for healthy lifestyle modifications.