Prescription Drugs For Weight Loss

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  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,053 Member
    thepritts wrote: »
    goal06082021 wrote: »
    I'm really curious to know what specific meds she was suggesting. Most of them are just stimulants, you can get the same appetite suppressant effects from black coffee. Others like Alli/Xenical are useless at best and traumatizing at worst, check out the threads about them around here.

    -metformin (Glucophage)
    -bupropion (Wellbutrin)
    -topiramate (Topamax)
    -Wegovy (weekly injection)

    Most of you have confirmed what I feel. I don't like to take aspirin for a headache, but I thought I'd ask and draw from other's experience.

    I realize that I'm probably not answering each individual question, but what weight I've lost has come from cleaning-up my diet, eating at a caloric deficit, measuring food, logging and tracking macros and more importantly, EXERCISE. I lift three days per week and cycle (stationary bike) three days per week. Each workout consists of 60 minutes of exercise.

    Thank you all so much for responding!

    I've taken Wellbutrin on and off for depression for over 20 years. "Off" because I need it less Spring-Summer, and I've found not taking it then makes it more effective when my SAD kicks in in the Fall. Some springs I don't go off it, like after my father died or during a global pandemic. I've just tapered off it because my new doctor wanted me to switch to Venlafaxine. However, I HATED that and could only bear it for two days so currently am not taking an AD. I didn't find any increases in my appetite after tapering off Wellbutrin.

    How Wellbutrin might be able to help for weight loss is because it is a little "speedy" so for me helped me to be more active. That's a habit now, so I no longer need that help.

    One of Metformin's more common side effects is decreased appetite, along with many many other side effects. Metformin is a diabetes type 2 med, so using it as an appetite suppressant would be considered an "off label" use. Because it has so many side effects, I think it is irresponsible to prescribe it as an appetite suppressant.

    https://www.drugs.com/sfx/metformin-side-effects.html
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,370 Member
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    I was on wellbutrin for awhile for depression. they may as well have been tictacs for any purpose, for me. i know everyone is different though.

    I was on Wellbutrin (Zyban here in Canada) for smoking cessation back in 1999. It worked well for that purpose, I haven't smoked since. I'm probably one of few people who quit smoking and lost weight, largely because of the med. It definitely killed my appetite but accomplished that by making me very nauseous. The nausea was so bad I went to half the dose fairly quickly, and stopped it entirely a few weeks early.

    I don't know if that is a common side effect, however. If I'm going to react badly to a med, nausea is my thing, so it might just have been me.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »

    One of Metformin's more common side effects is decreased appetite, along with many many other side effects. Metformin is a diabetes type 2 med, so using it as an appetite suppressant would be considered an "off label" use. Because it has so many side effects, I think it is irresponsible to prescribe it as an appetite suppressant.

    https://www.drugs.com/sfx/metformin-side-effects.html

    technically topamax is an anti seizure med.

    its uses for migraines and then for some as an appetite suppressant are off label. i want to say for migraines theyre not even sure why exactly it works.

    lots of meds have off label uses. most safe, but man those side effects can be doozeys, and some not worth it.



  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    NerdyScienceGrl wrote: »

    There is Qysmia too - Phentermine and Topamax together …”the Barbi doll” drug. Amped up on an amphetamine-like drug with a side of stupid 🤔 …hard pass.

    yeah, thats seems like a great idea LMAO

    was phetermine part of the phen phen combo? i dont remember

    for any younger members who may be reading who do not know what phen phen is, it was a prescription diet drug back in the 90s (maybe earlier, even), used widely, and effective, and it later came out that it was causing heart defects and damage and resulted in some deaths, if i recall correctly.

  • tracybear86
    tracybear86 Posts: 163 Member
    +1 on the terrible side effects of Topomax (or Dopeamax as a lot of people like to call it). I had the pins and needles, taste changes and severe memory issues the entire time I took it (3 years). The day I couldn't remember how to get home from work and had to call my husband was the day I called the Dr and told him I was done. Migraines or not this med was not the answer. The difference when I stopped taking it was night and day. What a waste of 3 years. 😕
  • ruqayyahsmum
    ruqayyahsmum Posts: 1,514 Member
    My daughters doctor tried to get me to agree to putting her on dopamax recently as she can't have the meds I take for my migraines....... Hard pass on that one doc
    She's special needs, she doesn't need her life making any harder
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,228 Member
    One of Metformin's more common side effects is decreased appetite, along with many many other side effects. Metformin is a diabetes type 2 med, so using it as an appetite suppressant would be considered an "off label" use. Because it has so many side effects, I think it is irresponsible to prescribe it as an appetite suppressant.

    I am not recomending or otherwise taking Metformin.

    However here in Australia it is PBS approved - ie can be prescribed as non-private script and is not considered off label use- for weight management alone.

    As well as being first line med for type 2 diabetes.

    All medications have potential side effects - but most people can tolerate metformin well and do not have side effects.
    Side effects are uncommon IRL.

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