Weight loss drugs can effectively reduce your weight while improving your health only if the drugs are used in combination with a healthy diet and regular exercise regimen. Weight-loss medications are not to be confused with dietary supplements. Weight Loss Drugs can really help you to lose weight, however, you also need to control the intake of calories and keep moving. Experts say that an effective weight loss, they say is slow and gradual, which will take anywhere from 1/2 to 2 pounds per week, even with the help of weight-loss drugs. It is understood that medications can really make a difference for some people if at all it must be part of their complete lifestyle that includes diet and exercise.
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Two Types of Weight Loss Drugs
The first type of drug is called Prescription drugs, which have been around for years in the market and can be purchased only if prescribed by a physician. The over-the-counter medication can be bought without any prescription. The over-the-counter weight loss remedies do not undergo the same type of FDA approval process as prescription drugs.
The approved weight loss drugs are required to prove that they are safe and effective with strong scientific evidence in order to pass the stringent FDA approval process as per NAASO. The prescription drug consists of three choices namely Xenical, Merida, and Phentermine.
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How Do Weight Loss Drugs Works?
The weight-loss drugs act as fat blockers and reduce fat absorption. Hence, some people may suffer from oily discharge, fatty stools, gas, and/or inability to control bowel movements.
The Weight loss drugs, when combined with a low-calorie diet and regular exercise, produce an average weight loss of 5 to 10 percent of total body weight within a year. This could be the initial goal for any weight-loss effort. Diet and exercise are also responsible for part of the weight loss program and medications are responsible for their part as well. Though losing 5 to 10 percent of your total weight may not seem to be an interesting one, however, even modest weight loss can improve your health in the following ways.
- Decreasing Blood High Pressure
- Decreasing the lipid levels
- Decrease in blood glucose levels
- Increase insulin sensitivity
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Facts About Weight Loss Drugs
- Until September 2002, fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine were the only available prescription drugs for treating obesity.
- Prescription weight-loss drugs are approved only for those with a BMI of 30 and above or age 27 and above if they have other risk factors, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
- The FDA requested the manufacturers of these drugs to voluntarily withdrew them from the market after Medical findings suggested that they were the likely cause of heart valve problems.