[thewomanwithin67]

Weight-loss drugs can improve your health, if used in combination with a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Find out if you could benefit from taking these medications. Weight-loss drugs may sound like a dieter's dream. But they aren't a good choice for everyone who's overweight.

In fact, many doctors reserve them for people with weight-related health problems.

It's best to lose weight through a healthy diet and regular exercise. quote: But if you're among those who struggle to lose weight and the excess weight has produced medical problems, weight-loss drugs may be able to help you.
Prescription weight-loss drugs aren't intended for people who just want to lose a few pounds for cosmetic reasons. They're generally reserved for people who are unable to achieve or maintain a healthy weight through diet and exercise, and often have health problems as a result.

Your doctor may consider you a candidate for medication treatment if these criteria apply:

Other methods of weight loss haven't worked for you.
Your body mass index (BMI) is greater than 27 and you have medical complications of obesity, such as diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea.
Your BMI is greater than 30

Two prescription drugs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for long-term weight loss. These drugs work in different ways and cause different side effects.

1 -- Sibutramine (Meridia) Changes your brain chemistry, making you feel full more quickly 10 milligrams (mg) once a day

Side Effects: Increased blood pressure, headache, dry mouth, constipation and insomnia

2 -- Orlistat (Xenical) Prevents the absorption of fat in your intestines 120 mg three times a day

Side Effects: Frequent oily bowel movements, diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain
Though not prescribed as often, several medications, such as phentermine (Adipex-P, Ionamin), are approved for short-term use.

quote: These drugs suppress appetite,but haven't been the subject of many long-term studies. When used for a short time — generally less than 12 weeks — the medications usually lead to only temporary weight loss.

Side effects of these drugs include dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and lightheadedness.

Effectiveness: Modest but can improve health

Combining weight-loss drugs with a low-calorie diet and regular exercise can help you lose more weight than can either drugs or lifestyle changes alone.

Combining all three — medication, fewer calories and more activity — can help you lose anywhere from 5 percent to 10 percent of your total body weight within a year.

This may not seem like many pounds lost, but even modest weight loss has a significant benefit to your health.

Losing just a small percentage of your weight can decrease:

Blood pressure
Blood triglyceride levels
Blood glucose levels
Insulin levels

Weight-loss drugs don't replace the need for changes in your eating habits or activity level.

They mainly improve your chances of achieving clinically significant weight loss — the amount of weight loss that has a positive impact on your health.

quote: If you're among those who can benefit from a weight-loss drug, you'll likely need to take it indefinitely. When you stop drug treatment, however, much or all of the lost weight generally returns.

The dilemma with taking the drugs indefinitely is that the most common weight-loss drugs are so new that possible long-term effects are unknown .

Sibutramine(Meridia) can cause a small increase in blood pressure that, for some people, may warrant discontinuing the drug.

This drug isn't recommended for people with uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart disease, irregular heartbeat or a history of stroke.
Orlistat (Xenical)decreases the absorption of certain fat-soluble vitamins — for example, vitamins A, D and E.

If you're taking this drug, your doctor will recommend that you take a daily vitamin supplement to prevent potential nutrient deficiencies.

These medications can help you with weight maintenance, especially if you continue exercising regularly.

But keeping off the pounds once you've lost them is an ongoing concern. And despite your efforts, you might still regain the weight.

As you consider weight-loss drugs, make sure that you make every effort to exercise, change your eating habits and adjust any other lifestyle factors that have contributed to your excess weight.

Weight-loss drugs aren't the easy answer to weight loss, but they can be a useful tool to help you make the necessary diet and lifestyle changes.

Now take a look at the FDA Approved "long term" medications for weight loss - how can we honestly say those 2 medications are any "safer" than any other ones.

The FDA states: Though not prescribed as often, several medications, phentermine (Adipex-P, Ionamin) , are approved for short-term use quote: These drugs suppress appetite,but haven't been the subject of many long-term studies.

If you're among those who can benefit from a weight-loss drug, you'll likely need to take it indefinitely Now for the really interesting part about "addiction":

***If you have been taking this medicine for a long time or in large doses and you think you may have become mentally or physically dependent on it, check with your doctor***

Some signs of dependence on appetite suppressants are: [list] [*]A strong desire or need to continue taking the medicine. [*]A need to increase the dose to receive the effects of the medicine. [*]withdrawal side effects -- for example:
mental depression, nausea or vomiting, stomach cramps or pain, trembling, unusual tiredness or weakness when you stop taking the medicine.

Abuse of a sympathomimetic appetite suppressant (taking the medicine in larger doses or taking it more frequently or for a longer time than the doctor ordered) can cause the following side effects:
Changes in personality; excessive, excited activity; irritability (severe); mental illness (severe), similar to schizophrenia; skin disease; trouble in sleeping (severe).

***After you stop using this medicine, your body may need time to adjust. The length of time this takes depends on the amount of medicine you were using and how long you used it.***

During this time check with your doctor if you notice any of the following side effects:

Extreme tiredness or weakness; mental depression; nausea or vomiting; stomach cramps or pain; trembling; trouble in sleeping or nightmares.

If you have been taking this medicine in large doses or for a long time, do not stop taking it without first checking with your doctor .

Your doctor may want you to reduce gradually the amount you are taking before stopping completely. This will help prevent withdrawal side effects.

Hopefully this will help you some

[squeekie]

Yeah...I'm looking for a window to jump out of.

[susanpesek]

You are some smart little cookie for even asking that question. GOOD FOR YOU!
I can add that I agree with some of the answer postings except that I do not agree you have to take it forever. For those people that don't radically change their eating and exercising behaviors, they find ways to subvert any diet help by just eventually returning to the ifestyle that got them into trouble in the first place!

That's why most of us are here; our diets have failed us over and over. I took phentermine safely for several weeks, using that time of increased willpower to propel me into changing my eating habits. This is the one ingredient most fail to do.

[findingme4me]

squeekie dont jump i love you girl!

[krisd32]

Everyone on who has given some good points. Most doctors wont even discuss phen with you. I went to 3 that said it is only a temporary fix and wouldnt prescribe it. I finally found one that said with a lifestyle change and exercise that you can lose the weight and keep it off.
You know though they are risk in everything. Even Tylenol which is suppose to be so safe can cause liver damage. You really have to look at yourself and decide the risks. In my case I have 3 sisters with diabetes and high blood pressure and numerous heart problems in my family and decided that the phen couldnt be any more dangerous to my body than my weight. I have a right bundle branch block in my heart and I felt I didnt need anymore health problems and the key to that was weight loss.
Kris