What can I take to lose weight?

Six weight-loss drugs have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for long-term use: Bupropion-naltrexone (Contrave) Liraglutide (Saxenda) Orlistat (Xenical, Alli) Phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia) Semaglutide (Wegovy) Setmelanotide (Imcivree)

mayoclinic.org - Prescription weight-loss drugs: Can they help you? - Mayo Clinic

Is it OK to drink straight pineapple juice?

Drinking a cup of pineapple juice every day has several health benefits, including boosting your immune system and improving digestive health....

Last updated Mar 19, 2019

Does any fruit raise blood pressure?

Fruit and veg contain potassium, a mineral which is essential for keeping your body ticking over and helps to lower your blood pressure. Eating...

Last updated Dec 23, 2021

Common yard weed melts 60lbs of fat?

Made into a potent powdered supplement blended right into water or your favorite beverage to be appreciated as a scrumptious morning smoothy.

Learn More »

Promotion

Are you an adult who has serious health problems because of your weight? Have you tried diet and exercise but haven't been able to lose enough weight? If you answered yes to these questions, a prescription weight-loss drug may be a choice for you. Prescription drugs are medicines that a health care provider prescribes for you. You can't buy them off the shelf in a drug store like you can buy nonprescription medicines. Just know that you need to use prescription weight-loss drugs in addition to — not instead of — a healthy diet and exercise.

Who can take weight-loss drugs?

Your health care provider may suggest a weight-loss drug for you in some cases. These include if you haven't been able to lose weight through diet and exercise and your: Body mass index (BMI) is greater than 30. This means you're living with a condition that involves having too much body fat, called obesity. BMI is greater than 27. You also have a serious medical problem linked to obesity, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Before choosing a medicine for you, your health care provider thinks about your history and health challenges. Then your provider talks with you about the pros and cons of prescription weight-loss drugs. These drugs aren't for everyone. For example, you shouldn't take prescription weight-loss drugs if you're trying to get pregnant, are pregnant or are breastfeeding.

How well do weight-loss drugs work?

Prescription weight-loss drugs that you can use for more than 12 weeks, called long-term use, lead to major weight loss compared with an inactive treatment that doesn't use medicine, called a placebo. The combination of weight-loss medicine and lifestyle changes leads to greater weight loss than do lifestyle changes alone. Taking these drugs for a year can mean a loss of total body weight of 3% to 12% more than that lost with lifestyle changes alone. That may not seem like a lot. But losing 5% to 10% of your total weight and keeping it off can have important health benefits. For example, it can lower blood pressure, blood sugar levels and levels of fats in the blood called triglycerides.

What you should know about weight-loss drugs

Mild side effects, such as nausea, constipation and diarrhea, are common. They may lessen over time. Rarely, serious side effects can happen. That's why it's important to ask your health care provider about all treatment choices. And ask about the possible benefits and risks of each drug. Weight-loss drugs can be expensive and aren't always paid for by insurance. Ask your insurance company about your coverage. Many people gain back some of the weight they lost when they stop taking weight-loss drugs. But practicing healthy lifestyle habits may help limit weight gain.

How long do I take a weight-loss drug?

Is Tropicana orange juice really fresh squeezed?

Every morning, I exclusively drink Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice and Tropicana Pure Premium Ruby Red Grapefruit juice, both of which are 100%...

Last updated Sep 6, 2022

Is Diet Coke healthy?

The artificial sweeteners and other chemicals currently used in diet soda are safe for most people, and there's no credible evidence that these...

Last updated Dec 12, 2021

Tasty juice “eats through” 54lbs of thick flab

This effective juice jolts the metabolism, boosts energy and burns fat all day.

Learn More »

Promotion

How long you take a weight-loss drug depends on whether the drug helps you lose weight. If you've lost enough weight to improve your health and you haven't had serious side effects, your health care provider may suggest that you take the drug long term. If you haven't lost at least 5% of your body weight after taking the full dose of a drug for 3 to 6 months, your health care provider will probably change your treatment. They may switch you to a different weight-loss drug.

What drugs are approved for weight loss?

Six weight-loss drugs have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for long-term use:

Bupropion-naltrexone (Contrave)

Liraglutide (Saxenda)

Orlistat (Xenical, Alli)

Phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia)

Semaglutide (Wegovy)

Setmelanotide (Imcivree)

Most prescription weight-loss drugs work by making you feel less hungry or fuller. Some do both. The exception is orlistat. It affects the way your body absorbs fat.

Bupropion-naltrexone

Bupropion-naltrexone is a combination drug. Naltrexone is used to treat alcohol and opioid addiction. Bupropion is a drug to treat depression, called an antidepressant, and a drug to help people stop smoking, called a quit-smoking aid. Like all antidepressants, bupropion carries a warning about suicide risk. Bupropion-naltrexone can raise blood pressure. So your provider will need to check your blood pressure regularly at the start of treatment. Common side effects include nausea, headache and constipation.

Liraglutide

Liraglutide also is used to manage diabetes. It's given as a daily shot. Nausea is a common complaint. Vomiting may limit its use.

Orlistat

You also can get orlistat in a reduced-strength form without a prescription (Alli). Orlistat can cause side effects such as passing gas and having loose stools. You need to follow a low-fat diet when taking this medicine. In rare cases, people have had serious liver injury with orlistat. But researchers haven't found that the drug causes liver injuries.

Phentermine-topiramate

Phentermine-topiramate is a combination of a weight-loss drug called phentermine and an anticonvulsant called topiramate. Phentermine has the potential to be misused because it acts like a stimulant drug called an amphetamine. Other possible side effects include an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, insomnia, constipation, and nervousness. Topiramate increases the risk of birth defects. Phentermine by itself (Adipex-P, Lomaira) also is used for weight loss. It's one of four similar weight-loss drugs approved for use for less than 12 weeks, called short-term use. The other drugs in this group aren't often prescribed.

Semaglutide

Semaglutide also is used to help control type 2 diabetes. You take it as a weekly shot to manage obesity.

It can cause side effects such as:

Are eggs or oatmeal better for weight loss?

Eggs = Less Calories So, eggs have an advantage over oatmeal if you are planning to cut on your calorie intake and shed those extra kilos. Eggs...

Last updated Jan 22, 2022

What snacks are OK for weight loss?

Here are 29 healthy, weight-loss-friendly snacks to add to your diet. Mixed nuts. ... Red bell pepper with guacamole. ... Greek yogurt and mixed...

Last updated Mar 15, 2021

Tasty breakfast juice melts 59lbs of wobbly fat

A scrumptious morning smoothy based on the diets of among the healthiest, longest-living hamlet in the world.

Learn More »

Promotion

Nausea and vomiting

Diarrhea

Belly pain

Headache

Tiredness

Setmelanotide

The FDA has approved setmelanotide only for people age 6 and older who have obesity due to one of these rare inherited conditions:

Pro-opiomelanocortin deficiency

Proprotein subtilisin-kexin type 1 deficiency

Leptin receptor deficiency

To take the drug, you'll need to have test results that show you have one of these conditions. Setmelanotide doesn't treat any of the gene problems that cause these conditions. But it can help you lose weight. It can lessen your appetite and make you feel fuller. And it may help you burn calories while your body is at rest. You take setmelanotide as a daily shot. It can cause side effects such as:

Swollen or irritated skin where the needle went in

Patches of darker skin

Nausea

Diarrhea

Belly pain

Unwanted sexual reactions

Depression

Suicidal thoughts

Never give setmelanotide to a child under 6 years old. It can cause newborns and babies to have dangerous reactions.

The bottom line

Weight-loss drugs aren't an easy answer to weight loss. But they may help you make the lifestyle changes that you need to practice to lose weight and improve your health. There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. From Mayo Clinic to your inbox Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health. Email ErrorEmail field is required ErrorInclude a valid email address Learn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Subscribe! Thank you for subscribing! You'll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox. Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry

mayoclinic.org - Prescription weight-loss drugs: Can they help you? - Mayo Clinic

What is the best thing to drink first thing in the morning?

water The benefits of drinking water (at least 2 cups) first thing in the morning are plenty. Besides flushing out toxins and providing some much-...

Last updated May 6, 2022

Does alcohol make you slimmer?

Drinking alcohol can make it harder to lose weight. There are many reasons for this, including: Alcohol is high in calories, and so are the mixers...

Last updated Jun 20, 2018

Traditional “juice” activates 24/7 fat-burning

A scrumptious morning smoothy based on the diets of among the healthiest, longest-living hamlet in the world.

Learn More »

Promotion

What food should I avoid to lose weight?

11 Foods to Avoid When Trying to Lose Weight The foods you eat can have a major effect on your weight. ... French Fries and Potato Chips. ......

Last updated Jul 16, 2022

Purple weed obliterates 72lbs of flab

The main ingredient for a potent powdered supplement, based on the diets of among the healthiest, longest-living hamlet in the world.

Learn More »

Promotion

What should you avoid after a colonic?

PLEASE ABSTAIN FROM ALCOHOL, RICH AND SPICY FOODS FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS AFTER YOUR TREATMENT PLEASE ABSTAIN FROM ALCOHOL, RICH AND SPICY FOODS FOR...

Last updated Mar 30, 2018