Many dieters are on a diet in various ways, and one of them is with the help of prescription weight loss medications. However, there are quite a few cases of side effects from misuse of the medications. How should prescription weight loss medications be taken? Are there weigh loss medications without side effects? Various questions surrounding weight loss medications and the side effect of it were studied in detail.
Prescription weight loss medications in the clinic can be divided into four categories: appetite suppressant, satiety enhancers, fat/carbohydrate absorption inhibitors, and metabolism suppressants (energy metabolism enhancers).
Appetite suppressants literally suppress appetite and reduce food intake. Phentermine a recent issue, is a representative appetite suppressant known to have a strong effect on suppressing appetite by acting on the central nervous system. The serotonin-based meditation, which is mainly prescribed for bulimia nervosa by balancing the hormones in the brain, is also type of appetite suppressant. When the level of serotonin in the body drops, it makes you eat under stress, but Belviq suppresses appetite by maintaining the level of serotonin.
Satiety enhancers are medications that make you feel full in the stomach. Even if you eat a little, it will give you a feeling of gas in your stomach, which will help you cut down on your food intake. Although it does not have a direct effect such as lipolysis, it is often used as a supplement because it has the effect of reducing food intake. As a side effect, you often feel abdominal pain, and if you have a bad bowel or constipation, it may get worse, or you may feel pain due to increased gas.
Fat/carbohydrate absorption inhibitors are medications that reduce the absorption of fats and carbohydrates in the body. After preventing fats or carbohydrates from being stored as body fat in the body and these are excreted in the feces. If you take it before drinking or eating meat, the amount of fat stored in the body may decrease, but as a side effect, there may be fecal incontinence, which may interfere with social life.
Metabolism suppressants are medications that increases energy consumption by increasing the metabolic rate. With an ingredient called ephedrine, you feel like you’re exercising all day. Therefore, it can be inconvenient to live and there is a side effect of not being able to concentrate well. If you take it in the afternoon, you may experience sleep disturbance and numbness in your hands and feet.
However, side effects don’t happen to everyone. Some people may have no symptoms, while others may experience excessive side effects. Considering the correlation with the medications you are taking; you should not take an appetite suppressant if you are taking psychiatric medications. Since both psychiatric medications and appetite suppressants act on the central nervous system, medication overdose may cause medication side effects.
The biggest risk factor for side effects is the underlying disease. Be sure to check to avoid increasing the risk of side effects. ‘Reductil’, a foreign company’s weight loss medication that is combined with phentermine and serotonin. It was popular at one time because it showed excellent effects on appetite control and weight loss. However, it was later revealed that it may increase the risk of stroke and heart attack in people with cardiovascular disease. It was withdrawn from the market in 2010. Therefore, before taking weight loss medication, it is important to choose the proper medication considering the individual circumstances, the medications you are taking, underlying disease, etc.
In principle, weight loss medications can only be prescribed to obese patients. Dr. Jung min Choi explained, “I think weight loss medications should be taken in situation s where their weight can worsen the patient’s health. However, as obesity became more of a cosmetic issue rather than a health issue, healthy and skinny patients started taking weight loss medications. Patients with a too low body mass index should not take weight loss medications.” Occasionally, there are some people who are skinny but have a high body fat percentage. In this case, rather than taking weight loss medications blindly, they can choose a medication that can lower their body fat percentage.
Dr. Choi emphasized that weight loss should be done by those who really need it. “Weight loss to be thinner and slimmer is not healthy. Weight loss medications should be used as a means of support when considered beneficial to health. You need to go on a diet that considers nutrition, which can raise the body’s metabolism and maintain health. I hope you find a beneficial weight loss method that suits you.”
