Would you take a appetite supressant from doc?

KatyRu

First off, you don't need any "help" such as pills to lose weight. You said it yourself- the fault is on you (no offense intended) for not accurately logging, sporadic weighing of food, and eating a surplus of calories.

The solution is to start logging accurately, weighing all your solid foods and measuring liquids, eat within a calorie goal that includes a deficit.

You want that 40 pounds to come off slowly. It took me about a year to lose 42 pounds, and I'm glad I did it that way.

Also, throw away the pills and get a new doctor. I question any doctor who does not tell you exactly what medication is for before prescribing it, as well as prescribing a seizure medicine for a person who does not have seizures.

Topamax's primary use is to treat seizure disorders. It's off label uses are migraines, mood stabilizer, and an appetite suppressant in overweight/obese patients.

Plenty of medications are used for a variety of purposes. I take Topamax and I don't have seizures. I take it for migraines because it's a miracle drug for them. She doesn't need to find a new doctor just because he gave her a drug that is used to treat multiple conditions. That's silly.

With all due respect, it's not silly..

You are taking Topamax for your migraines, and other people take it for seizures, which are the uses for the drug. However, isn't appetite suppression just one of the side effects? Therefore she was given a drug she does not need for the advantage of the side effect.

How does that make sense?

I specifically stated Topamax is used as an appetite suppressant as well.

Also, if you're going to put it that way, treating migraines is pretty much just a side effect as well. But Topamax is wonderful for debilitating migraines. So should those taking it for migraines stop taking it?

mytime6630

Thank you all so much who responded - especially the ones who have taken this medication.

I am going to work harder at logging my food, and give it all I can - I went and bought a food scale, measuring spoons, and very conscious of what I am putting in my mouth.

My doctor did tell me that along with the pills, I should really listen to my body, and not eat if I am not hungry. He told me it would be OK to skip meals. Well, I really dont want to skip meals, but I am going to work harder at just listening to my body. I think like someone said, I do tend to eat for other reasons other than hunger.

So the pills are stashed away, and I am going to work hard this month, and see what happens. Thanks so much again everyone - your input means a lot to me.

KnM0107

When I went to my doctor asking for help with losing weight she pulled out her perscription pad and I walked out the door and found a new doctor. I lost 130lbs without popping pills.

Aaron_K123

No I would not personally. Point is to learn how to exercise self-control and self-restraint. That is not possible if you are voluntarily making yourself dependent on something external.

brenn24179

taking pills sounds crazy if you just have 40 lbs to lose. I am 60 and I have logged my food and lost 45 lbs. I use to take those dexatrim otc pills and I was so hyper when I was young. I guess we always want the easy way. I think we have to dig in to why we don't take care of ourself. Are we looking for food because we are bored, lonely, distraction so we don't have to make a change like get away from toxic people, just plain greedy, looking for happiness but know it is just short term and then oh the consequences, do we need to change jobs, problem solve in life situations or relationships. . Yep it is easier to eat than do this soul searching stuff but so worth it. I have to remind myself daily to take care of myself, don't do destructive overeating and get some discipline. Too high a price to pay when I cant fit into those clothes! and of couse the health problems.

Burnerboy2000

Have you ever tried making your own appetite supressant ?
Blend : 1 glass of water, tea spoon of flax seeds (Fiber/protein), 1 apple (fiber/vitamins), 1 tea spoon of Hoodia powder (Natural appetite supressor/increases energy), 1 tea spoon on Guarana powder (increases energy),pinch of cinnamon (can help reduce the effects of a fatty fiet).
I have a shake in the morning and dont feel hungry until lunchtime, you can add whatever fruit or veg you like. Works for me, so might help someone else

SuperC_85

NO!
Ive been there done that with diet pills and they did not help me change my attitude to food in the long run.
Also always makes me emotional and crazy.

madbrainDotCom

Yes, I absolutely would.

There is no reason not to at least try the pills.

If you don't like the way you feel on the pills, or they don't help with your appetite and weight issue, you can always stop taking them. It's not like you have to take them for life.

Some of us have to take prescription medications for life and they can never be discontinued .

Like these two I have to take . Check out the side effect list.
http://www.isentress.com/raltegravir/isentress/consumer/common_side_effects_for_isentress/
http://www.truvada.com/truvada-side-effects

The list for topamax side effects is mild in comparison.
http://www.topamax.com/about-topamax/side-effects

Don't be chicken.

allotmentgardener

Personally no I wouldn't take them as you can loose weight by watching calories and exercise. However the question is whether you will take them, if you feel they will help you start off a healthier lifestyle then that is up to you, please bear in mind that it is willpower, dedication and determination that will work long term.

Velum_cado

No. Just because a doctor suggests something, doesn't mean it's a good idea. Case in point: the psychiatrist who told me I shouldn't be friends with so many gay men because it would turn me into a lesbian.

No, really. That actually happened

Chezzie84

I would only take them if my gp deemed them necessary. I don't see the point of going to the doctors just to ignore his/her advise.

Shropshire1959

No.


GP .. General Practitioner i.e not a nutritional expert ... [generalisation Alert] can often be Pill Pushers!! :-p

JojoEffeckt164

OMG this is crazy! I would change my doctor right away! What he suggests you can be very dangerous. This is kind of the american mentality that I´m always surprised about (as a German). I have the feeling Americans take pills against everything possibly imagineable. What you guys can get free at the supermarket is always shocking for me!

Try green tea instead to reduce Hunger. That´s my healthy advice

And maybe change the diet too. You don´t need to be hungry in order to lose weight. Just eat the right filling things. There are plenty advices for filling meals in this community. I barely get hungry while doing this. If you want some meals I´m happy to mail you some of my recipes. Just let me know :-)

JojoEffeckt164

No. Just because a doctor suggests something, doesn't mean it's a good idea. Case in point: the psychiatrist who told me I shouldn't be friends with so many gay men because it would turn me into a lesbian.

No, really. That actually happened

Oh my.... Let´s just pray that we never become sick! There are so many creepy doctors with weird ideas!

kayleedylmom

You are taking Topamax for your migraines, and other people take it for seizures, which are the uses for the drug. However, isn't appetite suppression just one of the side effects? Therefore she was given a drug she does not need for the advantage of the side effect.

How does that make sense?

With all due respect it make sense because its like taking a benadryl to help fall asleep, due to the side effects being drowsy or sleepiness. I would not take the medication but its her personal choice. No one can make that decision but her. I just thought being a medical professional just to inform you that many medications are used for things are not intended its call off label use. You can look in drugs books and it would state in a section where the medication is used and it would state off label uses.

lemon629

You are taking Topamax for your migraines, and other people take it for seizures, which are the uses for the drug. However, isn't appetite suppression just one of the side effects? Therefore she was given a drug she does not need for the advantage of the side effect.

How does that make sense?

With all due respect it make sense because its like taking a benadryl to help fall asleep, due to the side effects being drowsy or sleepiness. I would not take the medication but its her personal choice. No one can make that decision but her. I just thought being a medical professional just to inform you that many medications are used for things are not intended its call off label use. You can look in drugs books and it would state in a section where the medication is used and it would state off label uses.

Absolutely. It is very, very common for drugs to be prescribed for "off label" use. It's not illegal, it is not unhealthy, nor is it any other way wrong. Once a drug is approved by the FDA, it can be prescribed for any purpose. Sometimes after a drug is on the market other uses become known, but the manufacturer chooses not to spend the millions of dollars it would take to get the drug approved for the additional use. That doesn't mean the other use is invalid.

And by the way, topiramate is approved for weight loss as a component of the new weight loss drug Qsymia. (It is combined with phentermine.) So this isn't really an off-label use.

I have taken topamax as an add-on to my anti-depressant (another common use for topiramate) in the past and it did not help me lose weight but I did have slightly unpleasant side effects. But it does work well for some people, hence the usage. I don't think there's any harm in trying it and finding out for yourself which camp you fall in.

OP, it is your decision, but don't let yourself be swayed by fears that your doctor did something wrong or ill advised.

swaggityswagbag

First off, you don't need any "help" such as pills to lose weight. You said it yourself- the fault is on you (no offense intended) for not accurately logging, sporadic weighing of food, and eating a surplus of calories.

The solution is to start logging accurately, weighing all your solid foods and measuring liquids, eat within a calorie goal that includes a deficit.

You want that 40 pounds to come off slowly. It took me about a year to lose 42 pounds, and I'm glad I did it that way.

Also, throw away the pills and get a new doctor. I question any doctor who does not tell you exactly what medication is for before prescribing it, as well as prescribing a seizure medicine for a person who does not have seizures.

Topamax's primary use is to treat seizure disorders. It's off label uses are migraines, mood stabilizer, and an appetite suppressant in overweight/obese patients.

Plenty of medications are used for a variety of purposes. I take Topamax and I don't have seizures. I take it for migraines because it's a miracle drug for them. She doesn't need to find a new doctor just because he gave her a drug that is used to treat multiple conditions. That's silly.

Exatly. Plenty of drugs have multiple uses. It's not dangerous. People in this thread are fear-mongers.

jammajish

Topomax is approved for weightloss, so it in't really an off-label or necessarily unhealthy use. However, I have been taking Topomax for about 4 years now for migraines and based on my experience with the weightloss side-effect wouldn't recommend taking it unless absolutely medically necessary.

The reason that it is so effective in causing weightloss is because it initially takes away your appetite and changes your taste buds. There were many days that I would simply forget to eat, have to force myself to eat, or end up eating no more than 400-600 calories per day. Due to the lack of hunger and shift in my taste buds, it made me extremely picky about what I ate and I found it very difficult to make healthy choices.

I was not overweight to begin with (5' and 120lbs), but I was down to about 103lbs within a couple of month of taking it. While it didn't take any effort whatsoever, the appetite loss subsides after awhile and when you start to eat more it is extremely easy to gain back all the weight -- especially since you haven't learned any healthy habits in getting there! I also noticed that I lost a lot of muscle mass as I wasn't eating enough to maintain my muscle or exercising due to low energy. Apart from the weightloss, the drug also has a lot of pretty scary side effects that I recommend you look into. I luckily escaped most of them, but do still suffer from a bit of memory loss, pins and needles in my feet, inability to sweat properly, etc.

I would definitely educate yourself about the other side effects and consider whether it will truly help you in reaching your goals by teaching you healthy habits along the way.