Doctor wants me to take diet pills

nikiswimr

So I am a physician (an Internist) and I think that most of us in the medical community would seriously disagree with your physician. There are only two FDA approved "diet" pills, both of which have significant and sometimes serious side effects and I myself do not prescribe either and I know my colleagues feel similarly. The problem with Xenical (orlistat, Alli) is that not only does it cause you to lose the good fat with the bad but you can also end up with serious vitamin deficiencies. Vitamins A,D,E and K are fat soluble and deficiencies lead to problems with bone health, clotting problems and visual problems. Not to mention all the undesirable "treatment effects" (stool leakage!) and very modest results. The other FDA approved drug is phentermine which is actually of the amphetamine class. It does cause appetites suppression but has such serious side effects (significant elevation in blood pressure, worsening of heart disease, stroke risk, addictive potential) that I don't know anyone who still prescribes this. Unfortunately there isn't a magic pill to help with weight loss. I agree with getting a second opinion, seeing a nutritionist and a lot of the other strategies that have been mentioned (fyi a visit with a nutritionist is approved by all insurances I know including Medicare/Medicaid if you are overweight/obese by BMI, have diabetes, heart disease or hypertension).

pixiestick

Personally speaking, if there was such a thing as a diet pill that had no adverse side effects and cause rapid weight loss, I'd grind 'em up and snort 'em. I doubt it though.

Isn't that the truth. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

leavinglasvegas

So I am a physician (an Internist) and I think that most of us in the medical community would seriously disagree with your physician. There are only two FDA approved "diet" pills, both of which have significant and sometimes serious side effects and I myself do not prescribe either and I know my colleagues feel similarly. The problem with Xenical (orlistat, Alli) is that not only does it cause you to lose the good fat with the bad but you can also end up with serious vitamin deficiencies. Vitamins A,D,E and K are fat soluble and deficiencies lead to problems with bone health, clotting problems and visual problems. Not to mention all the undesirable "treatment effects" (stool leakage!) and very modest results. The other FDA approved drug is phentermine which is actually of the amphetamine class. It does cause appetites suppression but has such serious side effects (significant elevation in blood pressure, worsening of heart disease, stroke risk, addictive potential) that I don't know anyone who still prescribes this. Unfortunately there isn't a magic pill to help with weight loss. I agree with getting a second opinion, seeing a nutritionist and a lot of the other strategies that have been mentioned (fyi a visit with a nutritionist is approved by all insurances I know including Medicare/Medicaid if you are overweight/obese by BMI, have diabetes, heart disease or hypertension).

Woowooo! Seeing this makes me very happy! Not only are you a doctor providing good information, but you use MFP!

I love it!

elizabeth1222

try Mediweightloss clinic at least to get another doctor opinion

http://www.mediweightlossclinics.com/locations/

lessertess

I don;t know which pill he wants to put me on. he has let me try for a year to lose the weight and i have only lost 6 lbs and I have been trying so hard. with my IBS I can not eat a lot of fresh fruits or veggies ( I double over in pain). Like I said I have it really really bad, Like episodes daily. I have for 13 years. he checked my thyroid yesterday and it came back ok. I have also been checked for celiac disease, chrons, ext.... He also scheduled me for an ultrasound today to check for fybroid tumors because of some other trouble I have been having. I will find out the results later on today or tomorrow. they will also check for pcos. Um.... He also instructed me on dieting and eating healthy and exercising but after looking through all my food diaries and exercise logs he said I was doing the best I could with the foods that I can eat. (lots I cant cause of my IBS). So... he really is trying to help I just still don't know about the pills.

In general, I would advise against any kind of diet pills. However, for people with special health issues, I'm far from qualified to voice an opinion. I would do two things:

1. Ask your doctor for more information. What pills? What are they supposed to do. What are the benefits? What are the risks? What are the side effects? How long does he think you need to be on them. etc. What potential issues are there with these pills and other medication you're using. Do you have a choice of the pill and can he explain the differnces. What are your options if you choose not to take the pills. What would he recommend as next steps. Prior to making a decision, get educated.
2. Get a second opinion, preferably from a specialist. Look for a licensed dietician who specializes in special health/dietary needs.

If you're doing everything right that this site recommends and you're not getting results then this is a medical issue, not a diet and exercise issue.

TropicalKitty

I would absolutely agree with the concept of a second or even third opinion! I would go see a registered dietitian for the IBS and a gastroenterologist (not an endocrinologist I'd think, as they deal with metabolic issues, and this sounds more like something's wrong with your digestion and/or intestinal tract.)

Nope, I'm no doctor, nor do I claim to be anything close, but just as I say I'm no doctor, I would feel much better about the doctor who says "I'm no registered dietitian!" because most aren't.

Side note, be wary of nutritionists, some are good, but some are very bad, you don't need a degree in the US to be a nutritionist, you just need a sign over your door and a Federal tax ID. Dietitians require a degree, a state certification (in most states), and are required to stay current with that certification.

Steve here is what bothers me about the medical community. When you hurt your shoulder, the PCP sent you straight to an Ortho, right? He didnt try to give you a shot or diagnos the issue. He sent you to a specialist.

Mine has sent me to orthos, gyns, podiatrists.....but when I asked to see an nutritionist to lose weight he said it was not in the insurance to do so.

So a dr can write a script for meds that can cause potentially severe side affects, but cant send you to a specialist for obesity.

Slays me to think about it!

I asked the workers comp adjuster if I could go to PT and a nutritionist instead of having surgery on my neck-the answer was no.

Can you imagine where you and your wife will be in 10 years if the medical community and ins industry catch up to this problem? A nice lil clinic with trainers and dietitions and nutritionists! Oh, one can dream cant one?

I so agree with you! I can go and get help with obesity by having surgery, but if I want to go do things the natural way, I have to pay out of pocket! I work for a very nice academic medical center that has a number of support/health services available that aren't traditional MD/DO offices, however, I still have to pay out of pocket for it - and I have our insurance from a big name insurer. I'm glad I have these services available, but it really goes to show how biased things can be. Perhaps the force isn't so much from the doctor, but the insuring agencies? (My PCP has been very supportive of my going to the nutritional coaching and such and NEVER gave me the slightest suggestion of seeing a weightloss MD or pill. I love my doc!)

And to the poster about the food allergies - I'm starting to notice the same type of trend with foods. My nutrition coach had told me of her various health maladies that were corrected by her switching to a diet that worked with her body.

SHBoss1673

I would absolutely agree with the concept of a second or even third opinion! I would go see a registered dietitian for the IBS and a gastroenterologist (not an endocrinologist I'd think, as they deal with metabolic issues, and this sounds more like something's wrong with your digestion and/or intestinal tract.)

Nope, I'm no doctor, nor do I claim to be anything close, but just as I say I'm no doctor, I would feel much better about the doctor who says "I'm no registered dietitian!" because most aren't.

Side note, be wary of nutritionists, some are good, but some are very bad, you don't need a degree in the US to be a nutritionist, you just need a sign over your door and a Federal tax ID. Dietitians require a degree, a state certification (in most states), and are required to stay current with that certification.

Steve here is what bothers me about the medical community. When you hurt your shoulder, the PCP sent you straight to an Ortho, right? He didnt try to give you a shot or diagnos the issue. He sent you to a specialist.

Mine has sent me to orthos, gyns, podiatrists.....but when I asked to see an nutritionist to lose weight he said it was not in the insurance to do so.

So a dr can write a script for meds that can cause potentially severe side affects, but cant send you to a specialist for obesity.

Slays me to think about it!

I asked the workers comp adjuster if I could go to PT and a nutritionist instead of having surgery on my neck-the answer was no.

Can you imagine where you and your wife will be in 10 years if the medical community and ins industry catch up to this problem? A nice lil clinic with trainers and dietitions and nutritionists! Oh, one can dream cant one?

Now this stuff solely depends on your carrier. We have Blue Cross, and they cover a percentage of trainer fees (for certain certifications) and dietitians, along with some specific types of medications associated with weight management. I think that many of the more credible insurance companies are recognizing that keeping people at a healthy weight increases their long term profit margin (by reducing future persistent long term costs, like diabetes medications...etc.).

Incidentally, my PCP did give me a cortisone shot when I went in, but I have no problem with that as it is a standard procedure for shoulder injuries and the type of pain I have (I did a lot of research into it before I went). But he still referred me. The cortisone shot was basically a "1 in 100" shot and he didn't give me any false hopes about it's chances of success, so I wasn't surprised when it did nothing for me. but since I pay a BUTTLOAD of money for my insurance (somewhere in the neighborhood of $5500 a year for the two of us), I'm not crying over costing the insurance company a few extra bucks. Overall they've gotten about 75 or 80K out of me in my life, and I've probably had about 5 to 10K worth of medical services (just checkups and a few X-Rays here and there).

paulaswrld

My uneducated opinion is this:
If I were in your shoes, first I would see a GI doc. They can help you with the IBS. If you can get that under control and start eating some healthy fruits and veggies, it may likely have a good impact and help you lose. Then, it would be clear that there isn't a hormone imbalance. IBS can be a very general term for a range of digestive issues. For a long time, my doc used that term to generalize my former issues. After a while, I saw a GI and it turns out, the issues I was having were actually residuals from having had my gall bladder removed. I was put on a bile acid binder and I live a great, healthy, normal lifestyle now. I'm not saying, that's your issue, just giving my own example of how a specialist may be able to help.

I also do agree that a chiropractor and or accupuncture may also be able to help. I'd try those avenues before trying any diet pills.

losingnow

Wow! I sure got a lot of responses to this! i love to hear others opinion and their experiences with different senarios. At this point I am going to wait and see what my pelvic ultrasound says. ( I should find out today) as for my IBS I have been to so many docs and specialists. I even went out of town to a bigger city to see their top specialist. No one seems to be able to help me with my IBS but i have learned how to cope. I am on pills for a spastic bladder and that helps some with the IBS also. I can't eat many foods but I have been able to at least make some healthier choices. For example the one "veggie" i can eat is fresh green beans and lettuce. So instead of french fries or a bag of chips I have a salad instead. So I can't make big changes but I can make a few. i can also eat canned veggies so I am trying to find ones that are lower in sodium and such. After my test results come back I will think about the diet pills but I am not sold on the idea yet. I still think if I try I can do this the old fashioned way. I weighed in last night and had dropped 2 lbs so if I can keep it off I will make it. I wll keep everyone updated on what i decide! thank you all for caring so much to listen to me and respond!

Johnnyswife

I don;t know which pill he wants to put me on. he has let me try for a year to lose the weight and i have only lost 6 lbs and I have been trying so hard. with my IBS I can not eat a lot of fresh fruits or veggies ( I double over in pain). Like I said I have it really really bad, Like episodes daily. I have for 13 years. he checked my thyroid yesterday and it came back ok. I have also been checked for celiac disease, chrons, ext.... He also scheduled me for an ultrasound today to check for fybroid tumors because of some other trouble I have been having. I will find out the results later on today or tomorrow. they will also check for pcos. Um.... He also instructed me on dieting and eating healthy and exercising but after looking through all my food diaries and exercise logs he said I was doing the best I could with the foods that I can eat. (lots I cant cause of my IBS). So... he really is trying to help I just still don't know about the pills.

This is just my opinion.
Diet pills aren't the devil. They can be a useful tool in weight loss. You can get a new doctor if you feel like he isn't listening to you, but he is reading your reports and seems to be trying to help.
Why don't you call the office and ask what the name of the pill is that he wants you to take? You can do some research online about the medication. Benefits and side effects and all. Educate yourself before making a final decision and remember that your the one who has the final say. Don't take them if you really don't want to, and if he pushes you to take them, find another doctor who will listen to you. :flowerforyou: