Weight loss prescription?

Depends what he is talking about, stimulants? metformin? victoza or byetta?

eep223 wrote: »

MostlyWater wrote: »

If a person sees food as fuel, that's fine; but if a person each for comfort or entertainment or boredom, an appetite suppressant isn't going to help them.

Yes thanks, understand that. Can anyone speak to actually using one? That was what I had asked about.

If you've got a solid plan, they certainly can help. I used the OTC stack that was all the rage in the late 90s AKA the actual active ingredient in Hydroxycut. 30 lbs in 30 days. I felt great. Kept it off for 18 months until I lost my workout partner to a shoulder injury and my activity level went back down.

Oops.

Edited to add.

I was fortunate, no long term side effects or damage. Others not so fortunate, One of the guys I was training with suffered permanent damage to his heart.

In my 40's I took fen-phen for about 2 months. I was in an extremely stressful situation and had chaotic eating patterns that involved over-eating due to fear that I might be in a situation later in the day where I would be hungry and didn't have access to food. The meds gave me time to step back from that and establish a routine for meals (at that time allotting a certain number of calories to each meal, and having breakfast and lunch be mostly repetitive to minimize decision-making points).

When I went off the meds my eating routines had become habit and I was able to stick to them without much difficulty. I lost around 30 lbs in around 4 months and kept it off for several years by sticking with the same schedule until a move which resulted in a 4 hour daily commute and a drastic reduction in activity.

I think meds can be helpful if approached as a temporary tool to establish habits that can be followed post-treatment. I agree with everyone who says that the meds are useless (or even harmful) if used as a crutch to lose weight without changing your relationship to food and eating patterns, which is how most people approach them.

jefamer2017 wrote: »

eep223 wrote: »

Hi folks. At my last physical, I spoke with my doctor about my recent weight gain. He offered to prescribe me something to help curb my appetite. I declined at the time, but have been thinking about it since then. Does anyone have experience with prescription weight loss pills? My doctor is generally very conservative when it comes to medication, so I wouldn't think he would have brought it up if it wasn't safe and effective. I know I can lose the weight on my own by watching my diet and adding more exercise, but a little bit of a leg up couldn't hurt, right?

I took some for 3 weeks. They made me crazy. I couldn't think straight. I was so forgetful and just felt weird all the time. Not worth it to me.

Oops, never mind quoted wrong post.

eep223 wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

eep223 wrote: »

You continue watching your diet and exercising. What happens when you reach your weight loss goal? You continue watching your diet and exercising.

So why not start with watching your diet and exercising?

Obviously I am doing that already. Why would you assume I'm not? Just wondering if anyone has any experience with prescription appetite suppressants and could speak to the experience/the effectiveness/the drawbacks. I hadn't even thought about it until my doctor brought it up, and would like to gather some more information from people with firsthand experience. He didn't name a specific medication, but presumably he thinks I'm a good candidate for them.

Who marked my comment about diet and exercise as woo? That is the opposite of woo.

This is the Debate section. It seems you posted in the wrong section, so you might wish to ask that your post be moved.

My doctor had prescribed me Qsymia, it definelty curbed my appetite, but the constant tingling in my arms and legs that would wake me up at night, along with the migraines was just too much for me.

I’ve been prescribed Victoza by my Endo. You start on a v low dose and gradually increase over 3 or 4 levels. Been on it 3 weeks and am currently in the 2nd level and I won’t be rushing to increase this for a while. This is a medication that comes as an injection pen which you give yourself once a day. It’s really easy to do and pretty much painless. For me it has removed my appetite and enabled me to drop some weight during a very difficult menopause where i was struggling hugely to lose in the normal way. I also have insulin resistance and under active thyroid so trying to lose weight has been a life long battle that I don’t seem to win. One can moralise on the healthy best ways to lose weight all day long but if you aren’t being successful and if this can help then do what works for you. The health benefits of getting out of obesity far outweigh anything else.

Ask your doctor about DLPA first and if they give the OK on trying it I would suggest the Twin Lab brand. I took it for a while a couple years back. It gives you a dopamine boost which is the reason a lot of overweight ppl eat... it makes them happy or feel good at the moment. That's because they're getting a dopamine boost. I wouldn't suggest taking any pill for it, but if you're gonna take something give that a go first. The best way to go is by eating foods that satisfy you. If you find yourself overeating all the time, maybe try drinking more water. Your stomach only has so much space, if it's taken up before you eat you won't want to or be able to eat as much.

My doctor recently prescribed Phentermine and, after reading a lot of scary reviews, I actually felt like I trusted my doctor and like she was giving me responsible advice. She sent me to get an EKG and to get blood work done to make sure I wasn’t at risk for any heart issues. She also prescribed the lowest dose and will raise it every 30 days until the 3 month limit. My energy hasn’t really changed but the obsessive food thoughts have stopped and I’ve lost 6 pounds in less than 2 weeks. I plan to continue eating well and exercising after so that I don’t gain it back. Some people complained about dizziness, heart palpitations, and other side effects... but they also were prescribed the highest dose to start off with, which seems really irresponsible on their doctor’s part. I have a pretty high tolerance when it comes to most substances so I’m not really all that worried about side effects but, if I notice anything even slightly strange, I plan to stop taking it immediately.

I was on the clinical trial for Saxenda before it was approved by the FDA. It is a daily injection that I took for about 13 months. It was an appetite suppressant and during the year I was on the program I lost 70lbs, I was also exercising and had monthly check ins with a nurse and a nutritionist during the trial so there was def. a feeling of a support system and accountability. The medicine itself made me a bit nauseated, but that was the only side effect. What an appetite suppressant does not help you with is your relationship with food. It makes you less hungry for the time that you are on the medication only. So when I came off of the medication and the trial was over - so was all of the support that I got cheering me on.. and I was back to my old hungry self. I was/am an emotional eater and ate my way through a divorce and my mother's death. I gained back all 70lbs within 2 years of coming off of the medicine.

Ive tried other pill based appetite suppressants like qsymia and contrave but because they have an amphetamine effect I had insomnia so I chose to stop those medicines because I needed to sleep.