Drugs for Weight Loss
We certainly live in a drug oriented time. Although humans have always used drugs throughout history, we keep finding new uses for them. Drugs are available for weight loss.
Drugs for Weight Loss
We take drugs for many reasons. To promote health and cure illness is one reason. We also take them to stop pain and some take them illegally to feel better. It is not surprising that many people turn to drugs for weight loss. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a number of drugs for use in weight loss programs.
The majority of weight loss drugs work by simply repressing the appetite. They are really just pharmaceutical aids to dieting. The idea is that if we take in less food, we will lose weight. This may not be completely true, however. The body sometimes reacts to reduce food intake by storing even more fat. This is called the “starvation prevention reaction” and it has evolutionary roots in human beings. Research has found the appetite repressing drugs may be much more effective in maintaining weight loss than producing it in the first place.
Still, people are always looking for an easy way and drug sales continue to increase. It should be noted that while the sale and use of weight loss drugs is constantly increasing, the total number of people suffering from obesity is increasing just as fast. This should be an indication that drugs are not doing the job at all.
Recently, a new group of drugs has been released and approved by the FDA. These are the lipase inhibitors. One of the first was Xenical, approved in 1999. The lipase inhibitors do not impact appetite. They actually work on the metabolic pathway that breaks down food into fat. Some people consider them to be dangerous for this reason. The body is geared to work in a certain way and the lipase inhibitors are fooling around with a proven system. The main side effects of the lipase inhibitors seem to be in the area of bowel discomfort. They are sometimes embarrassing but not harmful.
Drugs can be part of the overall weight control plan. They will not replace intelligent food consumption choices, nor will they replace a healthy an active lifestyle. They also have the risks inherent with any drugs. There may be side effects that are more dangerous to us than the extra weight we are trying to lose. It is almost essential that a doctor be consulted and a physical examination done before beginning any drug use as part of a weight reduction program.