If you haven`t lost at least 5% of your body weight after three to six months with the full dose of a medication, your doctor will likely change your treatment and may switch you to another weight loss medication. So, what are the best weight loss pills out there? Read on to find out. Side effects: Eating high-fat meals (think: 30 percent of calories come from fat) while taking the drug could lead to unpleasant side effects. Think: greasy stains on your underwear, loose stools and urgent necessities to go to the bathroom. Ick. (Get a kick-off for your weight loss journey with 28-Day Fat Torch!) Doctors hope that knowledge of drugs can treat the pathophysiology of obesity to change common misconceptions that people should be able to control the disease on their own. Another type of diabetes medication called SLT2 inhibitors helps people lose weight. These include: Meet Plenity – an FDA-approved weight management tool Before choosing a medication for you, your doctor will consider your history and health problems. Next, your doctor will talk to you about the pros and cons of prescription drugs for weight loss.

No matter what ingredient or diet pill program you`re considering, it`s important to talk to your pharmacist first, Zeratsky said, especially if you`re taking other medications. When it comes to diet pills, there are two types: prescription drugs and over-the-counter supplements. And they are not created or regulated equally. If your BMI is above 25, you are at increased risk of several health conditions, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and severe forms of COVID-19. Losing just 5-10% of excess weight can significantly improve your health. Weight loss medications, in addition to diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes, are suitable for some people to help them achieve their weight loss goals. “When I was obese, my joints hurt, I didn`t fit into my clothes – I was embarrassed to go out and be seen,” she says. “We all know that airplane seats are getting smaller and smaller, but that logic doesn`t help if you`re trying to hug and have to stretch your seat belt completely.” Check out some of the strangest weight loss trends in history: Another caveat is that not everyone will react — about 13 percent of obese people in semaglutide clinical trials didn`t lose weight, Dr. Jastreboff says.

That doesn`t surprise her, because there are different types — or subtypes — of obesity, she says. “We just don`t know what they are yet.” One study in more than 500 people found that 50.5 percent of those taking liraglutide were able to lose at least 5 percent of their body weight during the study period, compared with 21.8 percent taking a placebo. Even more impressive, 26.1% of the drug group were able to lose 10% of their body weight, compared to only 6.3% in the placebo group. These five drugs are all considered effective in helping people lose weight by at least 5% after using them for a year (Khera, 2016). Most people who take weight loss medications lose an average of one to two pounds per week. Of course, weight loss medications work best when you combine them with other healthy lifestyle changes, such as a healthy diet and regular exercise. “Strictly speaking, Wegovy has the highest percentage of body weight loss,” notes Dr. Kanji. “However, we have to keep in mind that each study had a different patient population and methodology. It is also difficult to generalize security profiles, as this should depend on each individual`s situation. For example, a person with a history of pancreatitis would want to avoid Wegovy and Saxenda, but may be fine with Qsymia.

On the other hand, a person with a history of kidney stones wants to avoid Qsymia. “Important: You should not abuse weight loss pills. Misuse of diet pills – taking them abundantly or outside of a doctor`s recommendation – could have harmful effects, including liver damage. “A common analogy is blood pressure medications,” says Aleem Kanji, MD, a board-certified endocrinologist and obesity medicine specialist at Ethos Endocrinology in Houston, Texas. “Most would expect high blood pressure to return when the drugs are stopped. Obesity is the same. It is a chronic disease that requires chronic therapy. Almost everyone who has tried it knows that it is difficult to lose weight. If calorie restriction and cardio workouts make you tired and hungry, anything that could speed up progress seems worth trying, especially something as simple as a pill.